


Let's Try Again

by benchofindigo



Series: Reincarnation Au [2]
Category: Black Sails
Genre: Angst, James loves Silver, M/M, Pining, Reincarnation AU, Silver is a little shit, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2017-01-27
Packaged: 2018-07-12 14:17:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 102,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7108624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/benchofindigo/pseuds/benchofindigo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After many lifetimes and many years James' past no longer haunts him. </p><p>In this life James Flint goes by the name James Barlow and owns a multi-billion-dollar bank corporation called Walrus Corp. He lives a peaceful life on his own and is content.</p><p>Then he runs into John Silver.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unexpected Meeting

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [pirate_prompts_2016](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/pirate_prompts_2016) collection. 



> Reincarnation AU where Flint and Silver meet in modern day and get to make up for any tragedy and betrayals between them in the past and create a new life together where they can have a better (happier) ending.
> 
> I would strongly suggest reading the first part of this series before reading this one so that you understand what has happened to James.
> 
> Hopefully I do this prompt justice... and if not, you can yell at me all you want on my tumblr @benchofindigo
> 
> Also, this fic will be delving in some financial stuff for purposes of the story, but since I'm not expert on such things, a lot of it will probably not be correct, so my sincerest apologies if there are any financial analysts reading this. Also the scenario that I'm creating is something that probably has regulations against due to the stock market crash, but I'm going to pretend that such a thing didn't happen (this is fiction after all).

James was sitting in his high rise office in Canary Wharf, London going over the company’s financial statements for the previous year. They had made tremendous profits and so James was not too worried, he just wanted to make sure that there was no funny business happening. As he poured over the numbers and calculations, something didn’t seem to quite add up. Though the balance sheet was perfectly balanced, there seemed to be far too much money going out then there should be. From what James could tell, there seemed to be a huge vast amount of risky loans being approved that James for the life of him never condoned. Then again, there seemed to still be a lot of money coming in, which James couldn’t make sense of.

He rubbed his eyes, it was late and he was too tired for this. Still though, he knew this was going to rest on his mind all night, so instead of telling his personal driver to get ready, he informed him that he would make his own way home, though, telling him to be on standby since walking would take him more than two hours to get home. Taking one last distasteful look at the income statements, he closed his computer and packed up his things. With a quick pat to his breast pocket to ensure that the gun he always carried with him was there, he exited the office and left the building.

Once outside, instead of heading home, James’s feet carried him in the opposite direction. It was quite late out so not many cars were passing by, but it was London so it was never really quiet so to speak. That was one of the few things James missed about his piracy days. For all the harsh conditions and horrible situations, one could always find peace out in the ocean on a calm night when everyone else was asleep and it was your watch. You never got that in London in the twenty-first century.

James walked along, not really caring to take note of where he was going. If he got lost all he had to do was call his driver to come and pick him up and if anybody tried to jump him… well, they would come to regret it.

He had been walking aimlessly for about an hour or so when he heard it —a high pitched yelp that could only be the sound of someone in pain. Then came the voices.

“You thought you could swindle us out of our money, huh? Thought you could screw us over?”

There was the sound of a heavy object hitting flesh and another yelp. As far as James could tell, it was coming from the dark alley to his right. It sounded like there were two people ganging up on another poor bloke, though really, if the bloke had tried to swindle them out of money then it was his own damn fault.

James, in this life, was a law abiding citizen who did not deal with such matters as back alley brawls, so he decided it was time that he turned around and headed on home. Then one of the attackers' next words stopped him cold.

“Yeah, you fucking faggot. Thinking you could get with it. The likes of you deserve to be punished.” There was another sound of a boot kicking flesh again. Followed by more groans and yelps.

If there was one thing that James could not stand, it was homophobes. It constantly enraged him that here in the twenty-first century people still had problems with people liking others of the same sex. There had been nothing wrong with it back then and there was nothing wrong with it now. Why couldn’t assholes see that?

Blood pounding in his ears, James withdrew his gun from his pocket and calmly stepped towards the dark alley. From where he was standing he could see two figures standing in front of a crumpled body, taking turns kicking it while passing a bottle of alcohol back and forth. They fucking disgusted him.

“Yo! Faggot! Wake up you fucker.”

“Not so keen on sucking cock now are yah?”

BAM!

The two men jumped a foot in the air and turned around in terror. James stood at the opening of the alley holding the gun out, eyes hard and piercing. He knew the affect he had on people when he was angry, and oh boy was he angry now.

“I suggest that you two leave. Now,” James said. His voice low and dangerous.

One of them looked ready to flee, but the other one sneered and stepped forward. “You have a problem ya fucker? This ain’t none of yo busin-”

BAM!

The bullet grazed the man’s cheek and left ear. A warning shot.

The man froze for a couple of seconds before running off in the other direction, his pal following after him. James watched them go with a smirk for several moments before looking around to make sure that the coast was clear. When everything seemed to be fine he put his gun away and called his driver to come pick him up. He didn’t feel like finding his way home after this.

To James’ concern, the form on the ground still hadn’t moved. He slowly approached the still form and knelt down beside it, while carefully reaching out a hand to shake the body.

A low grown escaped it and James breathed a sigh of relief. He did not want to deal with a dead body; that would have brought up too many questions with the police and then the press would be brought in— something James desperately wished to avoid at all costs.

“Hey there. Are you alright?” James tried to use a gentle tone, but he wasn’t sure how successful he was. He couldn’t remember the last time he had tried to be gentle with someone.

The body shifted a bit and the man? slowly got to his knees. Dark hair fell in front of his face, and Flint backed up a couple of steps to give him some room.

“Wha happen?” The man slurred. From the way he was moving, James could tell he was in a lot of pain.

“I scared your friends off. You’re welcome by the way.”

“Well ain’t you a cocky bastard.” The man mumbled.

James snorted. “You should be more grateful to the person who just saved your life.”

“Who said I needed saving?” the man said, finally getting to his feet and looking James straight in the eye. James’ breath hitched. He was met with the most hauntingly beautiful eyes that he had ever seen in his life. The eyes that constantly appeared in his nightmares and (if James was being honest with himself) daydreams. The eyes that had become his buoy when he had been drowning while also being his Achilles’ heel.

They were the eyes of non other than John Silver.


	2. Midnight Pasta

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Silver is in a lot of pain in this chapter, just James isn't noticing it because he is really flustered and caught off guard... and also not thinking straight :P
> 
> Also I'm sorry this is such a slow start, things should be picking up soon... though it'll be a long time before they get together (I feel like I'm contradicting myself there lol)

James stared wordlessly at Silver for several long moments, not for the life of him knowing what to say. Ever since James had regained his memories he had set out to search for Silver. It had hurt, gaining his memories back, but not in the same way as it had in the past. Now James had a purpose, now he was ready.

He had gone through data bases, looked through records… nothing. After ten years of searching, James had given up. Thomas had been wrong, looked like he wouldn’t be encountering John Silver in this life. Once he came to that realization he went through a bad period for a couple of years. Being depressed and not really caring for life anymore. Why couldn’t Thomas come back to him? Why did he have to leave him? These questions ran through James’ head over and over again, haunting him.

Then Miranda had visited him and expressed her concern. Somehow, without knowing anything, she had knocked the sense back into James and set him down the right path again. That was when he had started up his business, and here he was today. He had gone on with his life and discovered that he didn’t need anyone (with the exception of Miranda). He was fine on his own and Silver didn’t need to be a part of it, nor did he want Silver to be a part of it. So it was no wonder that it came as such a surprise to encounter Silver once again. Oh how the gods must hate him.

Silver was standing there waiting for a response and frowned, crossing his arms, when none came. “What are you staring at?”

James jerked back into the present. It would do no good to curse his luck now when he had to make his next moves very carefully. He thanked whatever powers that Silver did not seem to recognize him. That had been another one of his worries. While with the others he sometimes wished that they would at least once remember who he was, he had always feared that Silver was in the same situation as he was. Thankfully that did not seem to be the case.

Really, James should just leave now and forget that he had ever seen Silver. It probably would be for the best for both of them. They were like oil and fire, so eager to be near each other, yet causing only destruction in their wake. Thing was he couldn’t. Not now nor ever again, especially with the state that Silver was in. Besides, he owed it to Thomas to give him a chance.

James cleared his throat. “I… umm nothing.”

Silver narrowed his eyes, but remained standing where he was, as if challenging him. James couldn’t help the smirk that flashed across his face. Silver was still the same old defiant man that he had been more than two hundred years ago.

Just then James’ car pulled up and let out a little beep. Silver visibly startled and backed up a couple of steps, though, he stopped when he realized that James was watching him. James stared at him hard for several seconds before coming to a decision.

“You’re coming with me.” His voice brokered no room for argument. He was not going to allow Silver to stay the night on the streets in that condition. James assumed that Silver was not well off from the state of his clothes and the dirt that lined his body. The least James could do was give him a night’s safety, or that was what he was trying to convince himself was the reason for his demand. 

James turned around and began walking back to the car, expecting Silver to follow him. No matter how much Silver gripped and groaned, he had always followed him in the past. James expected as much here.

“I cost 700 pounds a night,” Silver called out.

James froze. His hands clenched into fists. Silver was a _prostitute_. A mother-fucking prostitute. How could…?!?! James shook himself and tried to reign in his temper. It would do no good to scare him off now. “Get. In. The. Car,” James gritted out before getting in himself. He couldn’t exactly explain why the fact that Silver was a prostitute bothered him so much, but he didn’t like it one bit. Thankfully, Silver entered the car after several moments. Sitting as far away from James as possible, but James didn’t really care about that at the moment.  He nodded to the driver and they got underway.

The drive to his home was silent and tense. James had no idea what was going on in Silver’s brain, but his own was a mess. Silver was back in his life for not even an hour and already James didn’t know what was up from down anymore. The little shit was going to be the death of him.

When they got to his house James exited the car without another word, not even giving a glance back to see if Silver was going to follow him. The first thing he did once he entered his home was go straight to his liquor stash and pour himself a glass of whiskey. It was the first drink he had had in well, a fucking long time. Several lifetimes perhaps; the alcohol was just for show when he had guests over, which wasn’t very often. Now though, he needed the burn to settle his inner demons. He knew it was going to be a long night.

“So. What do you want to do?”

James closed his eyes and let his forehead rest against the wall for several seconds to gather up his strength. When he felt settled enough he reopened his eyes and turned around to assess the other man with a hard stare.

Silver was standing there with an equally hard expression on his face. His whole body language screamed of tension and wariness. James hated it.

He turned around and started walking towards the kitchen. “Take a shower. You smell like shit.”

“Well fuck you too,” Silver called after him, but James ignored it. He wasn’t ready to deal with this shit.

Once in the kitchen James realized that he hadn’t told Silver where the bathroom was. Oh well, he reasoned, the man could figure it out for himself and it wasn’t like James had anything to hide. He wasn’t one to keep sentimental objects lying around.

Looking around the kitchen James decided to make himself a late night meal. As he was taking the ingredients out of the pantry he realized that he should probably make some for Silver as well. Grudgingly, he pulled out extra ingredients and got to work. Soon enough a simple pasta and homemade vegetarian sauce was cooking away and James felt the stress ebb away. Cooking always helped with that.

The meal was just about ready when Silver walked into the kitchen. Dressed only in a low hanging towel.

James had to physically pinch himself in the leg to keep himself on task. He would not be distracted by the luxurious planes of tan skin covering well sculpted muscles that gleamed in the soft light of the kitchen — skin that was still slightly wet from the shower. Nor would he fall for the way the wild dark curls fell around his face and framed his cheekbones, contrasting with his bright blue eyes. Or how the towel was sitting just above his hips, just teasing what was hidden….

Nope. Stop it. James was not going to think about that. God, the man must be the devil himself.

Silver smirked and sauntered up to James, hips swaying. “Do I smell good enough for you now?” he purred, encroaching in his space.

James clenched his jaw and turned back to his meal. Carefully doling out the pasta and sauce on a plate. Silver, the damn minx, ran a finger up and down James’ arm causing a shiver to run up his back. He had to defuse the situation before he did something that he was going to regret.

James spun around and put the plate of food up in Silver’s face. “Eat.”

_“What?”_ Silver said, staring at the plate in confusion.

James shook the plate. “I said eat.”

Slowly Silver took the plate and stared at it suspiciously. James smirked. “It’s just pasta.”

Silver shot James a glare. “I know. I just…”

Whatever Silver was going to say James would never know since Silver immediately clamped his lips shut and took the plate to the kitchen table, sitting down.

“So is this a kink of yours? To take care of your whores before you fuck them? Would you like me to call you daddy as well?”

James growled and pulled out a fork from a drawer, slamming it down on the table next to Silver. “Just shut up and eat.”

Silver sighed and picked up the fork. “Fine, if you say so. I don’t judge just so you know. I’ve been with weirder people, done weirder things.”

“Just shut up,” James gritted out.

Silver let out a loud laugh before putting a forkful of pasta into his mouth. He then froze, his eyes widening in surprise, before an illicit moan rang out. James’ pants suddenly felt a bit too tight. Perhaps making a meal for Silver had not been the best idea.

“Gods! This is delicious. Where did you learn how to cook?”

James looked down at his own plate and shrugged his shoulders. “Never you mind.”

He looked up just in time to see a flash of what looked to be disappointment rush across his face before Silver rearranged himself back into a pleasant expression again. “So not the talkative one are you? That’s alright, though I must say, this whole night has been full of surprises. It’s usually the quiet ones who are loud in bed. What say we test that theory out?”

James rolled his eyes. This Silver was playing a dangerous game and James had to put a stop to it. “Listen. You are going to finish that meal then you are going to go down that hall and enter the guest bedroom. What you do in there is your business, but I hope that you will use the time to get some sleep and rest up. You will stay there the night, then in the morning I will serve you breakfast and afterwards, you will go back to your life and I will go back to mine. Do you understand?”

This time it was Silver who was speechless. “Y-you mean… that… what?”

James smirked. “Glad we could come to an understanding.”

He finished up the last of his pasta and put the dirty dish in the sink. He would clean it up tomorrow. For now, though, he was tired and needed to get some rest. It had been a long day. Without another glance back he went down the hall and entered his room, making sure to lock the door behind him.

Once in bed images of a tanned body and blue eyes started flashing across his vision. With a groan he reached down and grabbed a hold of his hardening cock, letting out a shuddering moan, though, making sure to keep his voice low. He moved slowly, savoring in the feeling that he so seldom let himself enjoy, that he so seldom needed. He shouldn’t need this now, but no matter what he tried to tell himself, his body was too hyper aware of having Silver close again. It was like his body was calling out to Silver, wanting to indulge himself. He started moving his hand faster, remembering how it felt to have Silver’s body next to his own, the taste of his skin, the feel of his lips... Gods, how he missed it. Before he knew it he reached his release with a soft cry, spilling into his hand.

He quickly reached for a tissue and wiped himself off; throwing the offending item in the trash when he was done. He lay back in his bed with a sigh going over past couple of hours. What was frustrating was that he was still unsatisfied. Though he knew Silver was a no go zone, his body still seemed to know that the object of his desires was just down the hall, willing to indulge his every fantasies. With a frustrated growl he tossed and turned in his bed trying to get into a comfortable position. No matter what he did, however, he could not get comfortable.

Looking up at his bedroom ceiling James knew that this was going to be a long night.


	3. Borrowing Clothes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to @beat-got-sica for volunteering to be my beta :)

Silver stared at the man’s retreating back in confusion. Now, Silver wasn’t actually a prostitute, so he didn’t exactly know how these things went down, but he sure as hell knew this wasn’t how it went.

Silver hadn’t wanted to get in the car, but he hadn’t known how to get out of the situation. It had been obvious that the man was not used to taking no for an answer, and Silver had just been beaten to the inch of his life — he was in no position to get away. The man also carried a freaking gun! Besides, he still couldn’t figure out why the man had saved him in the first place. To top it off, he then goes and demands that he takes care of him? It didn’t make much sense.

Silver had just said that he had sex for money in the hopes that it would have gotten other man to leave him alone. Who freaking pays 700 pounds to get laid? Then again, perhaps that was the going rate for prostitutes these days, Silver wouldn’t know.

Anyways, it didn’t work out, and so here Silver was. He had to admit to himself that he had been sort of freaked out at the prospect of sleeping with this man. Though he was interested in both sexes, he didn’t know anything about him or what he would do. Who knew what sort of weird kinky stuff he was into.

Nonetheless, Silver had steeled himself during the ride home to the prospect that he would have to ‘do his job’ so to speak. It wasn’t the worst situation Silver had ever been in, the man had quite a delicious body if he did say so and looked to be a good fuck. It probably would have hurt with all his bruises from the beating, but Silver was pretty good at hiding pain. Besides, he would get money out of the deal in the end, so it wouldn’t be all that bad.

Now, though, his hopes of making easy cash went down the drain. Nobody paid someone for feeding them and providing shelter, that was stupid.

Silver cursed when he stood up, hissing as a bright flare of white pain flashed across his lower ribs. They were already starting to bruise, and feeling around one of them gingerly, he was afraid that one of them might be broken. This wouldn’t be the first time that a beating had led to this bad shape, but still, it was never fun. There was nothing he could do about it, however, so he slowly made his way down the hall to the guest bedroom.

He had already done some preliminary snooping around before he had gotten in the shower and was disappointed to find that there really wasn’t anything of interest in the house. There weren’t even any pictures on the walls. The only thing of value seemed to have been the briefcase, which the man had brought in with him, but that had been locked. It was a six letter password and Silver did not know the man well enough to even begin to guess what that could be.

That was another thing. He had absolutely no idea who this man was. He obviously had money, that was certain, but other than that, nothing. It frustrated Silver to say the least since he always liked to have the upper hand in these sorts of situations. Normally it was easy for Silver to guess another’s motives. With this man, though, he was an enigma.

Silver was too tired, though, to worry about it for now. He could practically feel his body crashing, and so without much further thought on the matter, crawled into the ginormous bed and fell to sleep almost immediately.

+

The soft glow of the morning sun entering through the window woke Silver up. At first, he blinked around in confusion, not sure where he was, but soon enough the previous night’s events came back to him. He shot up with a start only to fall back down with a hiss. Pain rushed through the side of his ribs, reminding him of his idiocy.

After taking several moments to wait for the pain to subside he got up again, this time, more slowly. While he was in this luxury house he might as well take advantage of the resources, so Silver decided to have another long shower, letting the warm water wash away some of his aches and pains. Sadly, he only had his dirty clothes to put back on after he was done, but he couldn’t have everything, right?

He sauntered into the kitchen to the sounds of frying. Silver’s mouth watered as the smell of fried eggs and bacon filled the air. Oh how he could get used to this life. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so well fed.

The man was just finishing putting the food on two separate plates when Silver arrived. He looked just as good as he had last night, if not better, and Silver felt a tinge of regret for not getting his hands on that body.

Silver shook his head, what was he thinking? He seemed to be taking his fake position to heart.

The man looked up and assessed him, his piercing green eyes made it seem like he was staring into his soul. It made Silver uncomfortable, but he just stared lazily back as if unbothered by the whole situation. The man’s eyes seemed to tighten and he abruptly left the room.

What the hell was his problem? Silver felt slightly affronted, but he would not let this man get to him. He sat down with a huff and started eating his meal. Like last night’s pasta, the food was heavenly. Silver could have almost believed he had died and gone to heaven if only his side wasn’t constantly bothering him.

The man came back into the kitchen and threw some clothes on the chair beside Silver. “Put those on.”

Silver paused mid bite and stared at the offending items. Now this was just getting weird. “You want me to… wear your clothes?”

The man clenched his jaw and stabbed at his meal, refusing to look at Silver. “They aren’t mine,” he gritted out, “just put them on.”

“Well then whose are they? If they are your partner’s clothes, or someone like that, I think I would prefer to forgo the change.”

“Do you always have to be such a little shit?” the man burst out. A vein was protruding at the side of his forehead and Silver felt it best to back off.

He carefully held out his hands and got up. “Okay, okay, I’ll change. Happy?”

The man shot him a glare before turning back to his eggs. God, what a temper he had. Silver assessed the clothes. There wasn’t anything special about them — just a plain blue t-shirt and black jeans. They did look to be of good quality though, something that Silver would never even dream of affording at this time.

He glanced back up at the man who was still staring resolutely at his meal. An idea popped into his mind and he smirked. This should be fun.

He got up and tugged off his trousers. At the sound of them hitting the floor the man looked up in confusion. His eyes going wide at the spectacle in front of him. Good.

Though Silver wasn’t used to this sort of thing, when it came to his body, he knew he looked good, so he didn’t feel any shame in the slightest for his little act. He glanced up at the man through half lidded eyes and was pleased to see him staring at his plate with a red flush creeping up over his neck. The man was interested — that was certain, he just had to keep on playing with that. Maybe there was a chance to get some money out of this after all.

He went to pull off his shirt, but then his damn ribs decided to protest. He let out a little hiss, hoping that the other man hadn’t noticed. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. Quickly he yanked on the jeans and switched the shirts as fast as possible. He had to bite his lips to keep himself from whimpering in pain, but he couldn’t show weakness. Not now.

Once the clothes were on he paused and looked down. They fit him perfectly. The fuck? The man, though similar in height, was much broader than him and would not have fit in these jeans or shirt. He must have been telling the truth when he said they weren’t his, but then if not his, whose were they?

“Are you done with your meal?”

The voice broke Silver out of his thoughts and he looked at the remains of his breakfast. He wasn’t used to eating so much, so he was most definitely full. It did seem to be a shame to waste good food, but with his ribs, he didn’t want to push things. “Yeah... By the way, you never told me your name.”

He carefully watched the man, intrigued to notice the tension in his shoulders and the way his hands clenched.

“I’m Silver by the way. John Silver. In case you wanted to know,” he added with a shrug, still watching the other man.

“Flint,” the man finally said. He spat it out like it left a bad taste in his mouth. This man was a box of mysteries, and Silver couldn’t help himself becoming intrigued.

“Flint,” Silver said, testing the name out. “Is that a first or last name?”

“Never you mind,” Flint growled, “now come on. I have to get to work.”

Silver frowned, glancing at the clock. Did he expect him to accompany him to work? That wasn’t good, he had to get going.

“I’ll have my driver drop you off wherever you need ahead of that. Just tell me where you have to go.”

Silver let out a little sigh of relief, then reevaluated the situation. “Oh, there’s no need for that. I can find my own way around.”

Flint shot him an unamused glare. “Get in the car.”

Silver gritted his teeth. This man just thought he could take control of everything. God, it touched  
his nerves. He was perfectly fine with finding his own way back to his flat, and he definitely didn’t want Flint to know where he lived.

Granted, though, he was in the other man’s domain and despite his sour temper, Flint had been nothing but generous towards him. Scowling at the man just because he could, Silver stormed out of the house and into the waiting car. Flint followed after him and Silver could have sworn there had been a smirk on the bastard’s face.

They sat in the car in silence for several moments without movement. Then Silver realized that Flint was waiting for him to tell him where to go. Sighing, Silver spat out a street name that was a couple of blocks away from where he lived — he wouldn’t give Flint the satisfaction of driving him right up to his doorstep. Flint seemed to realize this, but he luckily made no remark on the matter.

As the car started moving, Silver turned away and glared out the window. He was still incredibly confused as to what had taken place this past night and it was an uncomfortable feeling.

Finally, they arrived at the address that Silver had provided. When he went to open the door, however, it was locked. He whipped his head around and glared murderously at Flint. “Let me out.”

Flint rolled his eyes and sighed. “I would have thought you would have wanted to be paid before you left.”

…

Wait, what??

Silver could only stare, dumfounded as Flint pulled out an envelope of cash and handed it to him. Silver made no move to take it. This had to be some sort of trap.

“Well. Aren’t you going to take it?”

“But I didn’t do anything for it.”

Flint smirked. “Well if you don’t want it…”

He jerked his hand away, but Silver leapt forward. He was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. “No no! I’ll take it.”

Silver clutched onto the envelope, not believing his luck. Flint’s smirk grew wider, but Silver couldn’t bring himself to care. If the man wanted to waste money, who was he to stop him?

When he tried to open the door again, though, it was still locked.

“What now?”

Flint paused and seemed uncertain about something. Perhaps he would now ask for a blowjob or something. Silver would happily oblige, given what he had just received, but he would have preferred if Flint had thought of this before — when they were not in a cramped car.

Instead, Flint took out a notebook and scribbled something onto a piece of paper before tearing it out. He held the paper out to Silver. It was a phone number.

Silver looked up at the man in confusion. What was he playing at?

Flint cleared his throat. He still looked uncomfortable. “If you are ever in trouble you can reach me with that.”

“Why are you doing this?”

Flint looked away. “Doesn’t matter. You’re free to go.”

Sure enough the click of the door unlocking could be heard. Silver grabbed onto the handle and pushed the door open. As he was getting out he paused and looked back. Flint was staring out the other window seemingly lost in thought.

Silver shrugged his shoulders and closed the door behind him. The car immediately drove off. He stood there for several moments looking after it, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Nothing rational or reasonable came to his mind so he decided to shrug it off.  
It wasn’t like he was ever going to see the man again.


	4. There Will Be No Cricket

Silver made his way back to his flat and collapsed down on his coach with a sigh. He still didn’t understand half of what had happened, but he knew that pondering it over and over would not lead to any new answers. Anyways, he had to get ready for school.

Taking a quick look in the mirror he grimaced as he noticed that the side of his body seemed to have turned an even darker shade of purple if that was possible. He didn’t have any ointment or soothing patches to relieve the pain so he was just going to have to suck it up.

Out of curiosity, he opened up the envelope and checked on the money. He was pleased to note that it seemed real enough, then he counted it. His jaw dropped — there was a grand of cash in there. He hadn’t even done anything for it.

Silver’s mind raced, he couldn’t believe it. He now had enough money for next month’s rent and then some. Too bad he had already paid his tuition, this would have helped limit the student loans that he had to take out. Well, he would definitely get to a bank after class today. He wouldn’t dare leave this much cash hanging around. For that matter, what was Flint doing carrying around that amount? He must be seriously loaded.

It was too bad Silver didn’t have a way to continue profiting from this situation… wait… he had his phone number. Looking down at the seven-digit number he contemplated contacting the other man, but for what? He would have to think of a good excuse.

His phone beeped. Glancing down at the time he cursed and quickly grabbed his bag, running out the door. He had a class to get to.

Having to sprint to class with his ribs was not fun at all. White sparks glittered in his eyes and he felt like he was going to puke. Normally he wouldn’t have given a damn, but the professor was a hard ass who took away marks if you were late.

Silver hated the class, it was a four-hour lecture and you were expected to do five million readings each week as well as provide a written opinion on each one. The professor was very condescending and shot down any argument that anyone brought up in class that didn’t coincide with his own. Silver was busting his ass off for this class and he doubted he was going to get more than an B+. That would be the lowest grade he would ever receive in his entire post-secondary education. Including first year undergraduate classes.

He was now in his final semester of his MBA in Finance with the CFA Track. He had already completed his Level 3 CFA exam so he was all set to go and was basically just waiting to graduate. The class he was attending, though, was a killer. Thankfully there was only two more weeks left of the term, and then he would be finished.

That reminded him, he had a job prospect meet up with Walrus Corp. tomorrow. It was the top investment banking company that any hopeful finance student wanted to be hired at. They seldom took in applications, but this year they were looking for a low level position that needed to be filled. Hundreds of applications had come in, and they had only accepted twenty of them to come in to this meeting. Silver was one of those applicants.

Silver couldn’t really say he was surprised. He was basically a genius when it came to such things and he had worked hard to get to where he was today — what with coming out at the top of his class and getting in the top 5 percentile of all of the CFA exams. He knew that starting out he would have to do most of his experience gathering through volunteer work in the goal of easily gaining ins in the industries and gathering references, so he didn’t have much in terms of finances.

Silver was a bit wary about this job opportunity, however, and was not quite certain he was going to take it if he was given the offer. Though it was a coveted position, it would mean long hours of work with few benefits and zero recognition. He would become just another slave to the corporate world, working under suits who didn’t give a damn about what happened to him. Still though, Silver knew it would be stupid to not at least check it out and assess his options. Perhaps use his quick wit and social charm to get in a better standing in the company than the job offer originally laid out.

He got to class just in time and hurried to his seat. There were fifteen other students in the class, and Silver knew that all of them hated it just as much as he did. The class started and Silver gave his two cents worth, which of course was shot down by the prof, though Silver knew he was in the right. God, the righteous bastard enraged him.

Two students and the professor got into a three-way argument about some current political disaster so Silver leaned back in his chair and took out his phone. It was a crappy thing that could basically only send texts or receive calls. Silver didn’t have the money for high tech luxuries.

He felt around in his pocket and pulled out the phone number. He stared at the number for several seconds weighing the pros and cons of sending a message. Finally, curiosity and apprehension got the better of him and he jabbed the number into his phone. He debated for a couple of seconds then smirked as he typed out a text and sent it.

The ball was in Flint’s hands now.

+

James leaned his head against the window as the car pulled away. He still couldn’t believe that he had done all that for the little brat, even when all of his common senses were screaming at him to just push Silver away. He had never been able to withstand Silver’s draw, though, even when said man didn’t even know who he was it seemed.

God! What had possessed him to give Silver his phone number? It gave Silver an in to contact him again and cause all sorts of trouble. James was still undecided as to whether he hoped Silver had just thrown away the number or not. With a flash of guilt, he remembered the bruises that had littered his skin when Silver had changed that morning. The side of his body had looked ugly and James felt a tinge of regret for not doing anything about it. Not that he could have done much… and he doubted that Silver would have appreciated it if he had tried. Besides, it wasn’t his problem. Ugh, he needed to forget about him.

The fact that even before he had run into Silver he had taken to the habit of buying clothes that James knew would look good on Silver showed just how successful he was of keeping the man out of his head. Every time he walked into a store his eyes wandered not for himself, but for Silver. As if he was compiling a bunch of gifts as a huge apology in case they were ever to meet again. Ridiculous, but it had become a bad habit. The annoying part was that James had been right. Those clothes had looked damn good on Silver — the pants had hugged his legs, showing off his perfect ass, and the blue top had accentuated his eyes. He had looked gorgeous and it had taken all of Flint’s willpower not to push him against the wall and... He should get a bloody award for the amount of restraint he showed.

He entered his office and sat down heavily, tiredness sweeping over him. He hadn’t gotten a lick of sleep last night and it was coming back to bite him. Looking at his emails he noted that there was nothing urgent that needed to be done and there were no meetings scheduled for the day. No one would miss him if he took a mini power nap, right? Oh screw it, he was the boss. He could do whatever the hell he wanted. Besides, his eyes were already drifting closed.

…

_“I can’t do this anymore.”_

_“Can’t do what?”_

_“Keep following you, keep expecting things to get better, to change. You have to admit it. It’s over.”_

_“What the fuck are you talking about?”_

_“Nassau is lost.”_

_“No it’s not!”_

_“I’m leaving.”_

_“Silver, don’t do this.”_

_“Goodbye James.”_

…

Beep. Beep. Beep.

James woke with a start, cold sweat running down his back. He looked around confusedly, before registering that he was in his office in the twenty-first century. It had just been a dream.

The phone rang again, reminding James of the reason he had woken up. With a sigh he picked it up. Guess it was time to get to work.

“What is it?”

“Mr. Barlow, Mr. Willow wishes to speak with you.”

“Send him in.” He had decided to use the name Barlow for his business identity. It was another shield between him and the world that he could hide behind.

James hanged up, smoothed out his hair and straightened his tie. A quick glance at the side mirror showed that everything was in order. He set a disinterested expression on his face and waited for the man to come in.

Mr. Willow entered holding a tablet and an air that he was better than those around him. James hated him.

“What is it?”

Willow seemed a bit taken aback by his abruptness. James didn’t have time for pleasantries, though, so he had better get to the point.

“Ah well, I’m doing fine thanks.”

James clenched his jaw and glared up at the other man. Willow became visibly flustered and busied himself with his device.

“Well then, as you know twenty promising prospects will be coming in tomorrow to get a look around the place and hear about our lovely features. It also gives us a chance to evaluate them and see which one best fits in with our environment.”

“Yes, I know. Why are you coming to me with this?” James had no dealings with the hiring process. As long as those who were hired did their job properly he was satisfied.

“Ah well, I was just wondering if there were restrictions on what we are allowed to show, or you know, provide.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well you know, we were planning on taking them out to a cricket game-”

“Now wait one second. You are going to be using company resources to take twenty brats out to a cricket game that has nothing to do with the company business?”

Willow quailed under his glare. “Well you see, it’s easier to get to know people’s personality under a more relaxed setting. Being around expensive equipment and professionals may be a bit… intimidating for them.”

“If they find the business intimidating then this is probably not the right fit for them.”

“Yes, well you see…”

“How many of you idiots have signed up to be a part of this meet and greet?”

“Umm… well… there are twenty students coming in, so we picked twenty of us. One per student.”

James wanted to bang his head against the desk. He was surrounded by incompetent idiots. James knew that they had received way more applications than the twenty that were coming tomorrow and that this position was highly coveted. The students should be the ones begging to work here, not the other way around. They were not a law firm.

“Show me the list.”

“What?”

James rolled his eyes. “The list of employees and the students they are in charge of. I’m assuming you already decided who gets who.”

“Oh right. Of course.” Willow hurriedly tapped a few things on his tablet and handed it over.

James looked over the names of his employees that were so _graciously_ volunteering their time for this _important_ event. They were all proud gits who thought they were worth more than their value. He looked over at the students they were attached to. Beside them gave the stats of each student and why they were chosen.

He looked down to see who Willow had chosen. He would have obviously chosen the best prospect in order to look like he had high standing in the company. His breath caught when he saw the name printed there — John Silver.

How the fuck was that possible? John Silver was a prostitute on the street, nothing more. This had to be a coincidence. Holding his breath, he clicked on the name for more detailed information about him. His profile page popped up, and with it, the image of John Silver. There was no mistake.

Fuck.

Looking over his stats, Flint had to admit he was impressed. Top of his class, lots of experience, colourful reference letters. He was the real deal. Then what the fuck was he doing on the streets? Unless… oh that little shit. He was just swindling him out of money, and James had fucking fallen for it. Given him a thousand fucking dollars of his own cash. The brat was probably laughing at him right now.

Closing the profile, he handed the tablet back to Willow. “So is everything in order?” Willow asked.

James mulled things over, now what was the best course of action with dealing with Silver? “I will not have twenty people taking the day off to babysit. Choose five and give them four students each. They will show them around the facility and give them an overview of the company as well as what their duties would be. If they have any questions answer them. You can then treat them to a nice lunch. No cricket.”

Willow looked like he was about to argue, but promptly shut his mouth at James’ dark glare. Instead he nodded his head and hurriedly left the office. Good riddance.

James leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples. This Silver situation was turning into one big headache.

His phone beeped. James frowned. The only person who ever contacted him on that phone was Miranda, and she always called.

Oh.

Sure enough there was a text from an unknown number.

_If you pay that much for feeding me and giving me a place to sleep, how much would you pay for a blowjob?_

James smirked. Silver had no idea what he was getting into.


	5. Walrus Corp.

After that blasted four-hour lecture, Silver slowly made his way home. God, every breath he took felt like agony.

Unfortunately, Flint had not responded. Not that he had expected him to, but still, Silver felt a tad disappointed. Shoving thoughts of the strange man out of his mind he decided to plan out what was going to happen tomorrow.

He should probably wear something nice, but then again, did he really want to work for this company? He hadn’t decided yet. From the reports, the main owner of the company, James Barlow, was a major dick who was horrible to work with. That didn’t give Silver much hope of rising up in the ranks, and would he want to work with someone like that? Besides it was all very corporate. Silver hated corporatism, which was ironic considering what he studied, and so the thought of having to spend his good years in a stuffy office was not appealing.

Silver went over to his closet and looked at his one semi-nice suit. It wouldn’t do, too respectable.  
He then looked at his ragged suit. It was in horrible condition, and there was not much he could do to help it. The ends were fraying and the colour worn out. In fact, it would be quite embarrassing to wear it to such a high end corporation. He wanted to say fuck you to the company, not be the laughing stock.

Glancing at himself in the mirror he paused. The clothes he was wearing would do just fine. He looked good in them — a couple of the girls in his class had given him a once over when he entered— and they were of high quality. It was the perfect mix of showing that he didn’t care while showing that he could. A lie, but then Silver lived off of lies so there was nothing new there.

With that decided, Silver took out a pack of frozen peas from the freezer and lay down on the coach to rest.

+

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

“Fucking, mother of fucking fucks!” Silver cursed rolling over and falling off the couch. He reached out blindly for his phone and finally managed to shut the horrendous thing off.

Groaning, he sat up and looked around. He must have fallen asleep on the couch last night, which was not recommended. The couch was not the most comfortable thing in the world and now he had a sore back and neck to go along with his aching side. Just perfect.

Why was he up this early anyway? Wait… shit! The Walrus Corp. session. Silver jolted up and ran around the flat trying to get ready. Though he had no plans on taking the job— he had decided on that last night— he still wanted to make himself seem desirable. He was pretty sure he was one of the top ranked out of the twenty students that they had chosen after all.

Cursing his side again, he dashed out the door and hurried to catch the bus. His stomach growled painfully, but he ignored it. He was used to missing meals, and even though the last time he had eaten was breakfast yesterday, he could still survive another couple of hours. Going without food saved money.

When he got to the building he looked up at the massive skyscraper trying to be unimpressed. He failed. Okay, so maybe he kind of did want to work for such a prestigious corporation, but not if he was going to have to give up his freedom. That he just couldn’t do.

Squaring his shoulders and letting out a reassuring breath, he entered the building. Let the fun begin.

The nineteen other students were all dressed in formal business attire. Suits finely pressed, skirts perfectly pleated. He could feel the judgemental stares following him, but Silver paid them no mind. Let the others fight for the slim bone, he was only here for the show.

A chubby, pompous man, who had the air of someone who thought himself to be far greater than he was, entered the room and smiled at them. Silver hated him already.

“Good morning all of you! Welcome to Walrus Corp. I hope you are all feeling alright. My name is Gerard Willow and I will be one of your guides for the day.” His eyes swept over them and Silver was pleased to see the surprise, along with a hint of disgust, on his face when his eyes landed on him. Good.

“As I’m sure you are all wondering how this day is going to go. First we are…”

Silver tuned him out and looked around. There wasn’t much of interest in the room. The walls were made of tinted glass so one could not see through them, the lights were high tech, eco friendly appliances, all the tables and chairs were effective and orderly. It was like the perfect business setting. Silver did not like it one bit.

At some point four other men entered the room. They seemed to hold the same attitude as the  
Willow guy and Silver was not looking forward to being assigned to one of them. Silver caught one of them eyeing up some of the female students. It was disgusting.

“Lively, Morris, Proctor, and Silver. You lucky ones will be with me.” Willow said with a big smile.

Silver cursed his existence. No scratch that, he cursed Willow. He hoped the git was attacked by a bunch of ravenous pigeons.

The rest of the students made their way to their respective ‘leaders’ so Silver sighed and followed suit. It was like they were in high school again on a class field trip, and a boring one at that.

“Willow. I see that you are getting the potential recruits comfortable.”

Silver froze. No.

No no no no no. This was not possible. This was not happening. He was in a dream, an alternate reality. The pain in his side had become unbearable and he had passed out and this was all just a hallucination.

Silver slowly turned around, and sure enough, there was Flint, standing there in a delicious dark grey suit looking at Willow with a twinkle in his eye.

Silver quickly glanced around, maybe he could run somewhere and hide. He might not have noticed him yet.

He looked back at Flint only to find him looking straight at him. Shit.

“Ah yes, quite a good batch aren’t they? Ladies and gentlemen, this is James Barlow. Our very own boss of Walrus Corp.”

What!? Barlow? The bastard had lied to him!... though to be fair, Silver would have lied about his name too if he had been in Flint— no Barlow’s —place. James Barlow was no longer looking at  
Silver now, but he did start to walk over to where Silver was standing, though, that could be because he was standing next to Willow, who Barlow was currently looking at.

Silver tried to edge away, but Flint reached them and placed a hot heavy hand on Silver’s shoulder, effectively immobilizing him. The hand felt heady and possessive, but also weirdly familiar, and Silver felt this strange desire to lean into it. What the hell was wrong with him?

“Yes I do believe so.” Flint, no Barlow, said. “I’m going to be heading off to a meeting now. Nothing of much importance, but I think that it would beneficial for the future employee of Walrus Corp. to come in and sit in on the meeting and get a feel of how things work.”

Silver’s eyes shot up in surprise. What the hell was this man playing at? From the look of things, Willow was equally unbalanced by that as well. “Umm, well, uhh, yes that would be good, but that was the point of this meetup. We hadn’t picked our candidate yet so-”

“Who was the student with the highest scores and recommendations?”

“Err that would be John Silver, but you see-”

“Perfect!” Flint said letting go of Silver’s shoulder and heading towards the door. “Silver come with me. The rest of you continue on with your tour.”

Flint left without a backwards glance leaving a stunned silence in their wake. Then immediately whispers broke out as to who was John Silver and what had just happened.

“Does that mean that this Silver guy already got the job?” one of the females asked.

“How is that fair? Just because he got higher marks on the exams? The position should be based on more than just a score!” another student complained.

“Ladies, gentlemen! Calm down. Yes, it does seem a bit unfair, but that is how Mr. Barlow is. That is in no way indicative of your chances of getting the position. In fact, I believe it is actually detrimental. Mr. Barlow is a very particular man and if you disagree him in the slightest he will boot you to the curb. Silver will have his hands full, you mark my words. Trust me, the position is still very much open. By the way, which one of you is John Silver?”

Silver rolled his eyes. The man obviously had not looked over their profile pics before today. “I am.”

Willow turned to him in surprise, which quickly morphed into glee. “Well then John, off you go. I’m sure the boss will really love you.”

The soft giggles that followed Silver out the door was an indicative of how successful they thought he was going to be in landing the job. Well the joke was on them. For as far as Silver knew, he had a big advantage over all the other candidates and it had nothing to do with test scores or reference letters. It all had to do with the fact that Silver knew that the owner of Walrus Corp. was attracted to him, and he was damn sure he was going to use that to his advantage.

In a matter of minutes this job position had gotten a whole lot more appealing.

+

Silver was led to the same car that he had just been in yesterday. Oh how long ago that seemed to be. He slid in and got himself comfortable, looking over at the other man who was staring out the window.

“You know if you wanted that blowjob so bad you could have just called.”

Flint shot him an unamused glare. “Why did you pretend to be a prostitute?”

Silver shrugged. “At first I wanted you to get freaked out or disgusted and leave me, then I figured I could use the money.”

Flint snorted. “Of course.”

Silver smirked in return, this was going better than anticipated. Leaning towards the other man, he decided to see how much information he could get out of him. “So how come you chose Flint?

That isn’t a very common name to make up for oneself.”

Flint actually let out a chuckle. “My actual real name is James Flint. I use James Barlow for my work identity… for reasons.”

Silver raised his eyebrows. Well that was different. “I think I prefer Flint.”

Flint smirked, but didn’t respond. Silver turned and stared out his window in ponderation. Then a horrible thought struck him. “Wait, so you knew who I was when I was at your house two nights ago.”

“No. I only found out yesterday afternoon. You could say I was… surprised.”

Silver scowled. “What would you have done if I wasn’t the highest scorer on those tests? Would you have taken the other one along?”

Flint smirked. “No, I would have demonstrated a simple random sample on one of the many high tech computers that we have in the facility and magically your name would have been the one to be randomly chosen. This way was easier though.”

“You’re evil.”

“And you’re impressed. Admit it.”

Silver had to agree, though he couldn’t quite understand why he had such an appeal for the other man. There just seemed to be something special about him, but Silver for the life of him, couldn’t pinpoint what that was.

The car came to a stop and Flint got out. Silver quickly followed hoping he at least sort of know where they were.

They were at the hospital.

“What the fuck?”

Flint smirked. “Come along.”

Silver glared at the other man. He could tell something fishy was going on and he didn’t like it.

They entered the hospital and Flint went up to the front desk and had a quick conversation with the lady there. He must have gotten the information he wanted since soon he came back to Silver and placed his hand on his shoulder again and steered him down a hallway.

Silver knew objectively that he should shrug the hand away, show that he still had some sort of control over the situation… but he didn’t want to. There was definitely something wrong with him.

Flint leaned down as they were walking and whispered in his ear. “I like your clothes.”

And fuck if all the blood in his body didn’t rush straight to his groin. God, how this man could play with his emotions. He had never felt this out of control with anyone else before.

They entered a room and Flint closed the door behind them.

“This isn’t a meeting room.”

Flint smirked. “No it isn’t.”

“What the fuck are we doing here?”

Flint stared at him for several moments, green eyes battling with blue in some unspoken war. Then his eyes flicked down to Silver’s side and back up again.

The fucking bastard! “I’m not some invalid that needs taking care of!”

For some reason something dark flashed over Flint’s face, but it was gone before Silver could make it out. “No. You’re not, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t in pain.” Silver opened his mouth to protest, but Flint continued on. “I saw the bruising yesterday, don’t pretend you’re not.”

Silver scowled, sitting down on one of the beds. “Why do you care? I’m just some random person you found on the streets. It doesn’t make sense.”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Then tell me. Help me understand.”

For some reason this triggered a nerve in Flint for he shot forward, grabbing Silver’s shirt and yanking him to his feet. “You don’t get any say in this, understand? What I do, how I go around doing it? That’s my business. Stay out of it.” His voice was low and dangerous. His eyes had an almost wild gleam to them. Silver felt fear for the first time in Flint’s presence.

The door opened and Flint sprang back breathing heavily. Silver also felt a bit dizzy, and it took him awhile to regain his bearings.

“Dr. Howell.”

“Ah, Flint, what seems to be the problem? Who’s this with you?”

“This is my… friend, John Silver. He got in an accident the other day and his side is badly bruised. I would appreciate it if you could take a look.”

Oh wow, so he was Flint’s friend now was he? As his _friend_ , Silver supposed that gave Flint all the right in the world to dictate Silver’s life as he saw fit. God he was an asshole.

Dr. Howell turned and to assess Silver. There was no way out of this, so Silver sighed and gingerly took off his shirt. He had to bite his lip to keep from gasping out.

Dr. Howell gave a low whistle. “Looks like you certainly did a number on yourself.” He stepped forward gesturing to the damage. “May I?”

Silver nodded his head, but looked away. He felt pressure on his ribs and let out a hiss.

“Sorry,” muttered Dr. Howell, but he kept poking and prodding away.

Silver clenched his fists and bit his lip to keep the curses from falling from his lips. Out of the corner of his eye a sharp movement caught his attention. Flint was standing there rigid, slightly shaking. His eyes staring straight at Silver’s bruised side as if staring alone could fix things. He looked ready for murder. It felt strangely comforting.

Silver had always been alone his entire life, having to fend for himself every step of the way. He could never trust anyone to help him along. It was sink or swim and that was that. He had never had someone who showed even a lick of interest in him besides for what he could provide for them. With Flint, though, if Silver was reading it right, it looked like he actually cared in his own way, which would make no sense since he didn’t even know him. They had met yesterday for god’s sakes! It was incredibly confusing.

Dr. Howell stopped what he was doing and looked up. “Flint?”

Flint snapped out of his murderous trance and looked at Dr. Howell. “Yes?”

“Would you mind stepping outside for a minute. Your presence is putting… additional strain on the situation.”

Flint’s face darkened. “What?”

Dr. Howell sighed. “Just please step outside for a couple of minutes. I’m almost done.”

Flint growled softly, but in the end did go outside. Silver instantly felt his shoulders relax. Oh.  
True to his word Dr. Howell only spent a couple more minutes examining him then called Flint back into the room.

“So?” Flint asked. He still looked displeased for being shooed out.

“Well, Silver here either has a couple of bruised or broken ribs. Can’t know unless I do an X-Ray, but they are treated the same, so it should be fine as long as he doesn’t do much activity, ices it, and if needed take some pain medication. It should be healed in about six weeks.”

“There’s nothing you can do?”

“Ribs heal on their own. We can’t go in there and reset it. It’ll be fine.”

Silver cocked his head. Wasn’t he the patient here? Shouldn’t this information be addressed to him? Dr. Howell was relaying the information to Flint as though he was the one in the need to know. What happened to doctor-patient confidentiality?

“Oh and another thing. He seems to be a bit malnourished. I would suggest getting some vitamins and good food in him.”

Shit.

Flint’s eyes flicked over to Silver’s going dark. “Yes, I’ll make sure of that.”

Silver did not like the tone of his voice. It wasn’t his responsibility to take care of him. He wasn’t his father or parental figure! Silver could take care of himself thank you very much.

“Here’s a prescription for some basic pain medication. If any swelling or problems breathing comes up let me know immediately.”

He handed the slip out to Flint, but Silver got up and snatched it out of his hand.

“Thank you,” Silver said pointedly.

Dr. Howell blinked a couple of times then recovered and put on a tense smile. “Of course. Have a good day.”

After he had left the room silence reigned over for a couple of seconds. Flint then stepped up to Silver and held out his hand. “Give me that.”

“No.”

The nerve of the man, thinking he could control every aspect of every situation. Silver had had enough.

“I know you and you will not use that to get medication.”

“You don’t know me.”

“Give me the damn paper!”

Silver gritted his teeth. Flint was not going to have his way this time. Then a bright idea popped in his head. He smirked and leaned back against the bed. “I’ll give you the paper if you tell me why you’re so interested in helping me.”

Flint opened and closed his mouth. Silver enjoyed this— having the upper hand for once. He could tell this didn’t happen very often. Flint’s face turned dark and he let out a low growl before spinning around and storming out the door. It slammed shut behind him.

Silver smirked and threw the prescription slip in the garbage before following him. There was no way he was going to use that.

+

Silver expected them to head back to the company headquarters, or even for Flint to drop him off at the same place as he had yesterday. Instead they ended up at this heavily overpriced, fancy restaurant.

“Order whatever you want. I’m paying,” Flint said opening the menu and examining it with disinterest.

That was no fun. Silver was half in the mind to just order water out of spite, but his screaming stomach told him otherwise. Might as well get a free meal in while he could.

After they had ordered Flint leaned back and looked Silver over. It made Silver feel oddly bare and open. An uncomfortable feeling to say the least.

“Judging by your outfit you were not going to bid for the position if it was offered. Does that position still stand?”

Silver must say he was surprised. This was the first time talk of the actual reason Silver was here in the first place was happening. Silver took a sip of water to bide his time and think things over carefully. “True, and that position still stands for the most part.”

The corner of Flint’s mouth raised slightly. “For the most part?”

Silver smiled. “Well, if the offer’s good enough, I may be… convinced.”

“What would you say if I were to ask what would convince you?”

“Oh well, money would be a good place to start. You know high salary and such. Good benefit package, pension plan, vacation time. You know the works.”

Flint leaned forward looking into Silver’s eyes. “No.”

Silver frowned. “What?”

“No. That isn’t what you want. You want freedom. You want to escape this capitalistic world and be able to control your own destiny. Working for a soulless company would be hell. You would have no say and no room to stretch your creativity.”

Silver stared at Flint in shock. How the hell did he know that?

“What would you say if I were to give you an opportunity? An opportunity to have power over others, to be in control. What would you say to that?”

“I would say that’s bullshit. You could never give me that. Even with you being the owner of your company, your employees would resent you, maybe even fight against you, if you hired a start up in a position that he did not have any experience in. Especially out of nowhere.”

Flint nodded his head. “True, but I wasn’t suggesting that I give you a position of control. Where would be the fun in that?”

Silver leaned forward. Intrigued with where this was going.

“I was going over the company’s yearly financial records the other night. Something didn’t quite add up, yet I couldn’t figure out where. There is corruption in my company and I want it gone. I need help finding it.”

Silver felt his blood start pumping in his veins. Adrenaline was rushing through him. Now this was getting interesting.

“I need someone who is in the lower levels of the company. Who can get to know the employees, earn their trust. An insider who can figure out where the source of corruption is coming from. It’ll be a benefit both ways since they’ll be reporting directly to me, but also be making many internal connections so the likelihood of them rising the ladder’s ranks is higher.”

“You think I would be a good person for that job?”

“Yes.”

Silver thought things over for a second, it sounded good but… “I fail to see how that gives me power or control over anything. I’m still working under a lot of people.”

Flint smirked. “Do you know how pirates ran their ships in the 17th century?”

Silver frowned. “No. What has that got to do with anything?”

“Well a pirate ship consists of a crew. This includes multiple roles including the scouts, the sail master, the doctor, an accountant if one was available, a cook, a bosun, a captain… a quartermaster.”

He let that sink in like it was supposed to mean something to Silver. Silver just stared blankly at him.

“The captain is of course the leader of the ship,” Flint continues, “he is the one with the final say. In this case, I’m the captain of my company.”

Silver rolled his eyes. You knew someone was egotistical when they started giving themselves names and ranking.

“The quartermaster is second in charge. They are the one who speaks for the rest of the crew. They come to him with their complaints and he informs the captain about them. The quartermaster can even intervene with the captain if the quartermaster thinks the captain is stepping out of line. It is a very prestigious position.”

“Okay, and what has that got to do with anything?”

“A quartermaster on a pirate ship gets voted into its position. If they are well liked enough by their crew, even a low level cook can become the right hand man in a blink of an eye. If you play your moves right. Make the right calls. You can work yourself up to be my right hand. You’ll have the respect and admiration of the other employees and you’ll have the say over many decisions. You’ll have power and control, and together, side by side, who could stop us?”

In a way, it was just the challenge that Silver had been looking for his whole life. “Why me?”

Flint shrugged, taking a sip out of his drink. “I see you as someone with great potential and I want to provide you an outlet for that potential. I can see great things coming from you and I want to help you get there… if you’ll let me. So, what do you say?”

Silver could already feel the power and possibilities that came with what Flint offered. Someone was actually paying attention to him. Someone was actually looking at him and wanting to help him, saw more than a guy who was smart with numbers. It was intoxicating, hypnotising. He knew right then that Flint had sold him, and oh how he had sold him.

He raised his glass with a grin. “When do we start?”


	6. Logistics of Working Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a filler chapter

James raised his glass in response. It was unfair really, Silver never really stood a chance. Not after James had spent years learning the ins and outs of how Silver’s mind worked. What his wants and desires really were.

“Excellent, so let’s get the basics down. I found that there is a disconnect between the amount of loans being reported and administered. From a report that was created in September of last year, there should have been a drop in loans handed out, especially within the retail sector, that does not look to be the case. However, the amount of money being brought in looks to be much higher than should be expected when so many loans are being approved. That is immediately a red flag and so I want that to be investigated.”

“Do you have any clue as to who may be involved?”

“I have my suspicions, but I don’t want to give you any preconceived notions. You are to be a fresh pair of objective eyes on the matter.”

Silver narrowed his eyes in ponderation. “Is there any that you trust? That would give me a good starting point.”

James gave Silver a deadpanned look. Silver noticed the look and gave a little chuckle. “Right. Point taken… Though why you’re trusting me is what I’m having trouble wrapping my head around. After all, I did lie to you.”

“Who says I trust you?”

Silver paused, looking from his plate of food to James. “Then what’s this.”

James shrugged. The key to keeping Silver intrigued was to remain vague, leave things out, so that Silver would want to keep looking. It was a delicate process to say the least.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

There it was. “You have everything you need to know for now. You did agree to help me after all.

“If we are to be partners you shouldn’t leave stuff out of this.”

James leaned forward. “But as you said, you did lie to me, and this is my company after all. I can’t let you know everything in case you attempt to backstab me, which I’m sure you’ll be tempted to do at some point.”

“Hey!”

James smirked, but continued on, “take this as a trust exercise. If you stay straight and do your duty, then I think this partnership will end up being quite fruitful. However, if you go against me, well I’ll just drop you and continue on my way. I’m sure with your references and such, you’ll be able to find somewhere else… you just won’t get anything from me.” James smiled his dangerous smile at Silver, knowing what effect it would have on him. As if by queue, Silver visibly gulped, his smile dropping to an uneasy frown.

James would never actually do that to Silver, by god, how could he? But he couldn’t look so weak as to always be bending over backwards for Silver. He had to keep up some appearances.

Silver mulled things over, obviously uncomfortable with the way things were turning out. James was more concerned about how little Silver was eating of his meal. He had only picked at little pieces, moving them around the plate, he needed to eat more. James knew if he said anything, however, Silver would push the plate away and not eat at all. He hated what Dr. Howell had said, that Silver was on the verge of malnourishment, he wanted to know why Silver was in such a situation. What was his backstory? How could he actually help him? These questions churned in James’ mind, but he couldn’t very well get the answers to them.

“Fine. I suppose what you say is fair, though I do think I deserve more than what is offered if I’m to be doing this extra work for you.”

Oh how James wished he could raise Silver’s pay, he wished to give him the world, it just wasn’t possible at the moment. “I can’t. It would draw too much suspicion to you. I’m not the one technically hiring, it’s Willow doing it, so he decides the payroll. I can’t help you with that, I’m sorry. Once you move up, though, you’ll quickly get a higher salary, I promise.”

Silver did not seem pleased. “You seem mighty certain that I will rise up. How can that be so?”

You convinced forty men to follow me for years, James almost said. He wished he could say that, wished he could show Silver how powerful and respected he was… but that would cause a whole boatload of other problems that James wasn’t ready to deal with, if ever. “Use your charisma,” James said instead, “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“Fine,” Silver said, pushing his plate away, “well, I’m done.”

James was a bit disappointed to see that half of the plate remained full, but there was nothing he could do about it. “Very well,” he said, standing up, “let’s go.”

James paid for the meal and they got in the car to head back to the company building. “Can I see your phone?”

Silver slipped this piece of ancient hardware out of his pocket and handed it over. James looked at it in disgust as he opened it and examined the features. “What the fuck is this?”

“Oh shut up. It serves its purpose.”

James eyed the thing doubtingly. It looked like it was about to die any second. “Can you even call with this thing?”

“That is a phone’s main purpose,” Silver said tightly, grabbing the abomination back.

James sighed. “I guess it’ll do. You’ll be receiving a company instituted phone once you join. Everyone has one and it’ll connect you to your superiors and anyone of importance that you need. Most people end up using it as their all purpose phone since it has the highest features that technology has to offer. You are to _never_ contact me on that phone.”

“Let me guess, it’s tracked.”

James nodded. “All information that is entered into the phones are stored on an internal database that higher ups can access if they so choose. I wouldn’t doubt that the person behind the corruption isn’t at some point tracking that activity.”

Silver shook his head. “How is that even right? Do your employees even know they are being watched?”

“It’s in the policy agreement that one signs when they join. If they wanted to read it, it’s there.”

Silver scoffed. “Yes, and who doesn’t have the time to read 900 pages of fine print. Tell me, is there anything else I should be made aware of?”

“Your activity on our computer servers will be watched as well. So take note of that.”

“Right, so don’t get rid of my laptop.”

“Other than that, it’s mostly just standard stuff. Nothing to worry about.”

Silver rolled his eyes. “I’m sure there isn’t.”

“If you need to tell me something important, it would be best if we met face to face somewhere outside of the company,” James said.

“Of course.”

They had reached the building and headed in. James steered Silver towards one of the more public meeting rooms. Like suspected the nineteen other recruits and the five ‘guides’ were in there talking amongst themselves. When they entered, the room immediately quieted down.

“I hope you have all had a wonderful day here at Walrus Corp,” James said, “I would ask you all to leave now seeing as I have made my decision. John Silver will be the new junior financial analyst for our company.”

“What are you doing?” Willow asked, the veins on his forehead and neck bulging.

James pretended to be perplexed. “Whatever do you mean?”

“May I have a word?” Willow hissed out.

James raised an eyebrow, but nodded his head. They both stepped out of the room, and into a smaller meeting room.

Willow turned to James and jabbed a finger against his chest. “You don’t have the right to pick the next candidate,” he spat, face going red.

James looked down at the finger in disgust. “Oh really. I was under the assumption that I was the CEO of this corporation. Tell me, when did that change?”

Willow gritted his teeth. “I’m in charge of hiring the new recruits.”

“Yes, but I can override all of your decisions. I like this John Silver; he will make a good employee.”

“He came in dressed in a bloody t-shirt and jeans!”

“So?”

“SO?! He is spitting in our faces. He doesn’t want the job.”

“Oh I can assure you, he very much wants it. Clothing isn’t everything.”

Willow growled. “This isn’t right. There are nineteen perfectly eligible students out there who are perfect for this job. I have gotten to know them and know which ones are best suited.”

“Really? Like last time?” James asked.

Willow’s face paled for a second, but he immediately regained his footing. “That doesn’t count.”

“Oh does it not?”

Willow growled. “NO!”

James smirked. “Fine then. Who is your pick?”

“What?”

“I’m assuming that since you have spent the day with the nineteen other students you would have a good idea of who would best suit the job. Who is your pick?”

“Morris.”

James thought back over the recruits. Morris was this spindly rat of a kid who James was fairly certain had cheated on the tests. Figures Willow would choose someone like him.

“Behind Silver, the next top three candidates were females- Lively, Xiao, and Singh. Morris was seventeenth. I’m failing to see how you have good judgement.”

Willow looked taken aback. The idiot. He should have known that once James had started to have an interest in the proceedings James would have researched everything. Funny how if Willow hadn’t come to him for permission he would have been able to run his procedure smoothly and Morris, or whoever he chose, would have most definitely been chosen. James loved it when things worked out like that.

“I… uh.. ranking doesn’t matter. There are more important things!”

“True, and Silver has all of those things. He will be hired and that is final. Understand?” James said, putting a threatening tone in his voice to make sure that there was no room for argument.

For the first time, Willow looked ready to speak back, but one look at James’ hard glare and he backed down, nodding his head.

“Good. Now go back there and inform them that they are dismissed. Get the paperwork ready for Silver to sign as well.”

With that James strode out of the room and made his way to the office. He had things to do.


	7. Close Call

Today had been… weird. Silver tried to sort through everything that had happened as he made his way home. He had woken up, certain that he would be making snide comments and smart-ass jokes at the Walrus Corp session. Instead, well instead he had spent the day with the billion-dollar owner who seemed to care more about Silver’s health than anything else, and then he ended up signing a fucking two-year contract with the company. _Two years_.

What the hell had he gotten himself into?

He turned the corner to his apartment building, grateful to finally be home. He just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up for a couple of weeks. Seems like the world had other plans for him. The two goons who had been beating him up the other night were lurking outside of his building, obviously waiting for Silver to come home. Silver froze, glancing around, hoping that they hadn’t noticed him yet. No such luck. One of them looked up, and somehow made eye contact with him. For a second, both of them stood frozen, just staring at each other. Then the man let out a yell, alerting his partner. Pushing a couple of people out of the way, the two of them raced towards Silver, and if Silver knew one thing, it was that the look in their eyes spoke of murder.

Cursing his luck, Silver turned heel and ran in the opposite direction, ribs screaming in protest. What had the doctor said? Oh yeah, don’t do much activity… oops. With his ribs, and his mind tired from all the mental calculations he had to make that day, Silver stood no chance against the other two men. Almost with ease they managed to catch up to him, one of them grabbing him by the back of his shirt and slamming him against the alley wall. God, there was sure to be bruises left after that… assuming he got out of there alive.

“You little fucker, thinking you can get away from us? Where’s your guardian angel now?”

“I’m shocked,” Silver said, “I would think you would be more grateful towards him. The scar he gave you certainly made your ugly mug much more pleasing to look at.”

_Crack_.

The man with the cut on his face slammed his fist right into Silver’s nose. Blood was dripping everywhere. When would Silver ever learn to shut up?

“Enough of your bullshit. Where is our money?” the man hissed.

Silver groaned, his nose was throbbing and pain was slicing up his side. He was not in the mood for this. “I told you, there is no money.”

“That isn’t good enough,” the other man said, flipping out a knife.

Silver gulped. Whereas before, the two of them had been drunk, so Silver had reasoned that he had had a reasonably good chance of getting out alive, now though, these two were stone cold sober. They weren’t messing around, and judging by the knife, they were after blood. He was so dead.

Scarface, as Silver had taken to calling him, grabbed the knife from the other man and held it up to Silver’s throat. “Now, you have two choices, you can either-”

“What the fuck is going on here?” A really tall, muscular man came down the alley, holding a bat.

The two men turned around in surprise at the interruption. Silver didn’t even hesitate for a moment. He pushed himself off the wall and ran down the alley, slipped through a gate and jumped into a garbage dumpster. There, he waited as the two men came rushing down after him, running straight past and out of sight. Once he was sure they were out of range he quickly backtracked. The man who had interrupted their little meeting was nowhere to be found, not that Silver really cared all that much. That would have been an awkward conversation to have.

Still, Silver couldn’t go back home now — those bastards knew where he lived. Logically, Silver knew that he had no one to blame but himself for getting into this mess. He was the one who had been tired of living off bare scraps and volunteering his time for only a smidge of credence, so he had taken a not so legal job. The job had gone south and so here he was, getting chased by terrifying maniacs who had been shortchanged by a couple of thousand dollars. Granted, he would be mad too if someone had swindled that much out of him. Still, he hadn’t been the only one in on the deal, the others should have been targeted too.

Cursing his luck, Silver made his way to a gas station to wash himself off and see what damage had been done. Inspecting himself in the mirror he wagered a guess that the nose probably wasn’t broken, just really bruised, but that it had been a close thing. He thanked his lucky stars — he rather liked his nose and would not want it to be forever ruined because of a small mistake he had made.

Once he was cleaned up as much as possible, now came the problem of where to go. For the next couple of hours, he strode around a supermarket, pretending to shop, but not really. Finally, a manager got tired of him loitering and kicked him out. It was dark now at the time, but Silver dared not return home.

Without many options, he just wandered the streets, not really watching where his feet were taking him. It was getting quite cold now, still in the tail end of winter and Silver was really regretting not having a jacket. He was most likely going to die of hypothermia or something like that. God, what was his life coming to?

An hour, maybe two passed when Silver found himself in a familiar neighbourhood. Stumbling to a stop, he stared across the street at a familiar house — it was Flint’s house. He stood there, dumbfounded for several seconds, not for the life of him knowing how he had ended up here. It wasn’t like he had payed attention to their route here the other night, right?

Silver mulled over the pros and cons of going up and ringing the doorbell. On the pro side, he could potentially get a place to sleep for the night. One the con… there was no way in hell that Flint would want or care to see him, especially at such an hour, and would most likely turn him away. He started to turn around, but his aching side protested painfully, reminding him that he was in much need of rest. This could be his only chance of getting that tonight, since he couldn’t go home.

Cursing himself, he slowly made his way up to the door before he could change his mind and rang the doorbell.

As the seconds ticked by Silver began doubting his decision. Oh who was he kidding? Flint was probably fast asleep, and if the doorbell woke him up, he was not going to be willing to help him. This was a stupid idea.

Silver shook his head and turned around. He would find a dumpster to sleep behind or something like that. It wouldn’t be the first time he had to do so.

+

James couldn’t get to sleep. It seemed to be a common occurrence now that Silver was back in his life —the man was an enigma. He both annoyed the shit out of him, but he also pulled at all of James’ old heartstrings. It was maddening to say the least.

James tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position, but it was of no use. He wasn’t going to be getting sleep that night.

Then the sound of the doorbell broke out through the house. What the hell was going on? Who the fuck would visit at this hour? It was probably a stupid prank.

James stayed in bed for a couple of moments, but then curiosity got the better of him, and he got up. At least it was something to do.

He opened the door and peered out. He could just make out the figure of a person walking away from the house. A figure he would recognize anywhere.

“John?”

The figure froze. Meanwhile, James’ mind was a whirlwind of emotions, ranging from concern to annoyance, to hope. He was also cursing himself for calling Silver, John. That was like breaking rule number one.

Silver turned back around, and though it was dark, James could see that something was horribly wrong. Silver put on a fake smile. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bothered you. It was my mistake. Please go back to sleep.”

Unbeknownst to Silver, James knew every look that graced Silver’s face. He knew when he was lying or hiding something. He knew when he was excited or aroused. He knew when Silver was in pain or hurting. Silver was definitely in pain right now.

Hot, boiling anger welled up inside of him. _Someone had hurt his_ … no, he had to remain calm. Silver needed help, not some pig-headed idiot.

“Come inside.”

“No no! This was a mistake. I’ll leave now.”

“Come. Inside. Now.” Well, mostly remain calm. He couldn’t help the other man if he wouldn’t let him after all.

Silver hesitated for a couple of seconds, but in the end slowly made his way back up to the front door. Up close, James could see how bad the damage was. Silver was pale and shaking, sweat and dirt lining his skin, there was some blood on his shirt, and his breathing consisted of shallow hitches.

Wordlessly, James opened the door wider and let Silver in. They stood awkwardly in the hall for several moments. James scrutinizing Silver’s every movement, while Silver was studiously looking everywhere but at James.

James knew Silver was too stubborn to initiate any care giving so he abruptly turned around and walked down the hall to the closet. He pulled out a towel and some extra cloths and brought them back to Silver.

“Here, go take a bath or shower. I’ll get you some clean clothes. If you need anything let me know.”

Silver nodded silently, then shuffled off and went to the bathroom. James turned and went to his second closet, grabbing some blue sweatpants and a wife-beater. He went to grab a sweater as well, but something stopped him. Instead he went and pulled out one of his own worn out sweaters instead.

If someone had asked him why he had done that, he wouldn’t have been able to give an answer. For some reason, though, it had felt like the right thing to do.

He left the clothes outside of the bathroom then went back to bed. It was late and whatever problems there were, they were better off being discussed in the morning.


	8. I don't want your help

...

_Clack… Clack… Clack…_

_The sound of his metal leg echoes against the docks. It is a quiet Sunday down there, the usual bustle of people selling fish or crabs are absent. There is a storm coming, most prefer to stay inside._

_Silver should be heading home too, but home is where stony silence and harsh glares lay, suffocating him. No, weathering the storm seems like a much better option._

_He feels a stab of pain at the thought… NO! He is not going there. Keep walking Silver, that’s it. Just keep walking._

_“Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!”_

_Silver freezes, memories coming unbidden back to his mind. He whips his head around, trying to find the source of the sound._

_There! At a little corner stall, one of the few open, is this magnificent green parrot. It is sitting on it’s perch with it’s head in the air, looking all proud of itself. “Pieces of eight!” it shrills again._ _Before Silver even realizes what he is doing, he has turned and hobbled over to the stall. It is manned by this old black man who seems truly uninterested in everything around him._

_“What do ye want?” he asks, turning suspicious eyes on Silver._

_“I couldn’t help but notice this parrot here. Where did it come from?”_

_“That stupid thing?” the man spits, “it’s been around for o’er two hundred years and will live for another two hundred more. Can’t get rid of her now can we?” He lets out a crackled laugh and slaps his thigh._

_Silver grimaces, but turns his attention back to the bird. “Does she have a name?”_

_“Hell if I know.”_

_“Pieces of eight!”_

_“Why does she keep saying that?”_

_“Stupid bird picked it up from somewhere and won’t stop saying it e’er since. Right bloody menace ain’t yah?”_

_“How much?”_

_“What?!”_

_“How much?” repeats Silver. He knows he has to have this bird._

_“Pieces of eight!”_

_The man chuckles. “Alright then, the bird decreed it. How about eight pieces of eight.”_

_Silver smiles and fishes out the coins. “Here you are. Pleasure doing business,” he says. He turns to the bird and holds out his arm. “Come now girl, time to go home.”_

_The bird cocks its head and looks between the man and Silver as if deciding who she prefers. It then gives a little squawk and flutters onto Silver’s shoulder._

_The weight of the bird feels oddly comforting, as if the missing piece in his chest doesn’t feel so gaping anymore. He isn’t naïve enough to believe a damn bird will fill it completely, but he doesn’t feel quite so alone at this moment._

_“Captain Flint. I’m going to call you Captain Flint,” Silver murmurs._

_The man gapes at him. “The bird’s a she not a he.”_

_“Pieces of eight!”_

_Silver smiles, yes Captain Flint will do just fine._

_…_

Silver woke with a gasp. There was this aching pain in his chest, like he was drowning, but worse. He gasped for breath, and thankfully, as he regained his bearings, the pain dissipated. The dream, however, did not.

What a weird dream. It had been so vivid, so real. Like he had actually experienced it. He sat up and looked down at his left leg. He nearly breathed a sigh of relief to see that it was still whole and intact. God, he was ridiculous. Of course he still had two legs.

He ran a hand over his face, then paused. His hand came away wet. Getting up he looked in the mirror. Sure enough he had been crying, though, for what reason he couldn’t tell. Why on earth had a dream affected him so much?

Silver shook his head; it was just a dream. Nothing more.

Then he took note of his surroundings — where the fuck was he? As he looked around, last night’s happenings rushed back to him.

“Fuck!” God he was such a fuck-up. How the hell did this happen? And here he was, going to Flint again for help. The man must think he was an idiot. Silver wouldn’t blame him, he thought he was an idiot at times too.

His side, and his nose were still annoying the hell out of him and he could feel the slight throb of bruises on his back as well. They no doubt were turning a pretty shade of yellow by now. Just what he needed — more injuries.

He hugged the sweater tighter around him, holding in its warmth. The barely there smell of the sea water spreading a warm comfort through him. He knew that this was Flint’s sweater, however, so he couldn’t very well continue wearing it. Giving it back to Flint, though, seemed like a shame. Instead he pushed the shirt under a pillow, hoping he would have a chance to go back and get it.

Gingerly, he walked down to the kitchen. Flint was already standing there with a cup of coffee in his hand, staring out the window. Hearing Silver enter he turned to look at him, looking up and down Silver’s body. Not in a leering way, though, but as if he was concerned about his health and looking for injuries. It made a weird feeling rush through Silver’s body… one he couldn’t identify.

“So what happened?” Flint asked.

Silver shrugged. “Nothing.”

That was apparently the wrong thing to say. Flint’s eyes grew dark and he strode over, grasping onto Silver’s chin, his other hand reaching out to carefully trace over Silver’s nose. Silver had no idea why he was letting Flint do this to him — he rarely ever let someone even touch his arms without permission, yet here he was, letting Flint practically manhandle him.

Flint stared deeply into Silver’s eyes, his green irises hiding so many different layers and emotions that Silver couldn’t even begin to unravel them. “What happened?” he repeated slowly, a threatening tone creeping into his voice.

Silver looked away, shoulders slumping. “The men who were beating me up that night you found me came and paid me another visit.”

Flint’s whole body went rigid; Silver could practically see the muscles vibrating. “How did they find you?”

“They knew where I lived.”

Flint cursed, turning around and walking a few feet away. Silver, for his part, was incredibly confused. If he was not mistaken, Flint was extremely upset with what Silver had said, but the question was why? Why would Flint be upset over something that did not concern him? Sure, Flint wanted to use Silver as a sort of internal spy, but Silver was quite certain he could easily find someone else to do the job. There were certainly more loyal people out there than Silver. So why was Flint acting like those men had personally attacked him? This had to be more than just basic attraction, but he couldn’t even begin to sort through where the… _caring_ came from.

Flint turned back around. “Why were they beating you up. And do not lie to me.”

Silver wanted to make a biting remark in return, but reminded himself that it was because of Flint that he had had a good night’s rest. He sort of owed it to Flint to tell him the truth. “I got tired of not making any money. I was making others thousands of dollars through my volunteer work, but while they were getting rich, I was still left with nothing. I wanted in on that, so myself and a couple other financial guys decided it would be a good idea to convince some people to give us money to invest it in risky stocks. We told them that it was going to make millions for them, when really, we were just going to take their money and run. It worked for a bit, some idiots actually believed the bullshit we were spewing to them, but then I guess those two saw through it all and decided to get us back… or get me back for that matter,” Silver trailed off with a shrug.

Flint stared at him for several long moments. “You are an idiot.”

Silver snorted. “Yes, I think I’m aware of that. At least I’ve learned my lesson, right?”

Flint shook his head. “And this… business of yours? Are you still a part of it?”

Silver rolled his eyes. “Are you fucking kidding me? Of course not, I was only with them for a couple of months before realizing that it was far too much effort with too much risk for it to be worth it. I got out, but I guess not before making some enemies.”

“And how long ago was this?”

“Three months ago was my last deal.”

“Do you know the names of those two men?” 

Actually, Silver did, though he wasn’t sure why that was relevant. “Mark Harper and Trinton Kasic.”

“What about the men you worked with?”

Silver hesitated, he didn’t want to rat them out, but one look at Flint told him it was better to come clean. “Ryan Gibbs, Eric Verne, and Sam Crawford.”

Flint nodded his head, looking off into the distance, contemplating something. Silver stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. He was pretty certain he was going to get fired at this moment, which was funny considering all that Flint had done to get him the job, but Silver would fire himself if he was in Flint’s position. He would seem to be a liability after all.

Flint abruptly left the room, leaving Silver standing there. Well that was just great. He didn’t think Flint was going to call the cops, but then again, one never knew what went through that man’s mind. He sat down with a sigh, rubbing gently at his side, wishing he had some painkillers. Not that he would dare complain — he would only get an ‘I told you so’ from Flint, which was not something that Silver needed in his life, thank you very much.

Fifteen worrying minutes later, Flint came back in the room, sitting across from Silver. “The men are now flagged as terrorists and put on the top of the U.K’s most wanted list. They’ll be put behind bars by tonight.”

Silver’s mouth dropped open. Out of all the things Silver had thought Flint was going to do, this was most definitely not one of them. This wasn’t even in the realm of sanity! Terrorists? How was that even possible?

“What?” was all Silver could get out.

“I know some people, they know how to make that happen and no matter what defense force those two men back up it won’t make a difference.” Flint smiled suddenly, teeth baring and eyes cold. Silver was frightened to the core of his being. This wasn’t right.

“You can’t do that.”

Flint’s eyes tightened. “They would have continued to come after you. Those three men you worked with? All of them are now dead through suspicious causes. I couldn’t let that happen to you.”

Silver’s blood ran cold. They were dead? But that wasn’t possible, it couldn’t be possible. They had just swindled people out of money, that wasn’t cause to kill someone, right? But then if so… no! He would not let Flint use that as an excuse to mark someone down as a terrorist, but then Flint had already done it so… Nothing seemed to be in Silver’s control at that moment, and it certainly as hell did not make any sense. So Silver did the only logical thing at the moment — ignored the bad parts and attacked those who were trying to get close. “Couldn’t let that… why? Why are you doing this? You don’t even know me. I’m just some random stranger that you picked up off the side of the road. I’m nobody. Why the fuck would you…?” Silver suddenly realized what was wrong with this whole situation. Suddenly everything made sense. He looked up at Flint, voice going cold. “I didn’t ask you to take care of my problems for me.”

It seemed that Silver had struck some sort of realization in Flint. The man jerked back, face growing ashen, as though realizing the extent of what he had done. Silver watched him carefully, not at all knowing what he was going to do.

Flint turned around, hands clenched tightly in fists and left the room without a backwards glance. Silver waited for Flint to come back, but he never did. Finally, after an hour, Silver got up and left the house. What Flint had done… it terrified him. There was no way someone should have the power to do that, and he hadn’t even shown regret for doing so. It was like it was natural for him to just determine someone’s fate without so much as blinking an eye. It wasn’t right.

Silver stumbled into a café, sitting down heavily. He did not know if he would be able to face that man again… and to think, he was supposed to work under him. How the hell was he to do that now, knowing what Flint was capable of? One wrong move and Silver was just as likely to be the next person on the most wanted list.

The television in the café showed police breaking into a man’s house. It was one of the men who had attacked Silver. Silver felt sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah.... so Flint took things to the extreme there... 
> 
> Feedback is always welcome :)


	9. Returning to Eden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if you have not already done so, I think it would be a good idea to read the first part of the story to understand what is going on in this chapter. If you really don't want to, you can send me a message on my [tumblr](http://benchofindigo.tumblr.com/ask) and I'll give you a brief summary :)

James sat on his bed, hands shaking. He hadn’t even really thought when he had called his sources, called in those people to get the job done. All that had gone through his mind was his commitment to protect Silver. It was a need that ran deep through his soul to this very day and he wondered how it still lasted. One would think that after the long decades, the aching years, that such a need would have dissipated. After all, it was that very need that had ruined him.

He had sworn to himself that he would not do anything stupid in this lifetime. That he would not bend the laws, or break the rules so to speak. Yet… he found himself bending over backwards just to give Silver some semblance of a good life. God, he was such a fuck up, and it would be no wonder if Silver was terrified of him. He must seem to be this obsessed monster to the other man.

He looked down at his shaking hands, trying to figure out what to do. Trying to remedy this in some way. No clear answers came to him, no definite solution made itself known.

 _Thomas_.

It was barely a whisper, but James heard it, and out of all the things that he could do, it seemed to be the best course of action. He made a phone call to Miranda telling her he would be out of town for a couple of days then headed out. Not even informing his company assistants that he would be away. They could hold down the fort for a couple of days, it wasn’t rocket science or anything like that.

Being able to drive again was a remarkably freeing activity. He normally had his driver drive him everywhere for appearance sakes, but he hated it. He had no actual control over where he was going or how long it took to get somewhere. All he had were his thoughts in the back seat, which sometimes threatened to consume him.

As he drove along the emptying roads that lead out of London, a sense of ease fell over him. He did not know what the hell he was doing, nor what would happen, but he knew that right now he was doing the right thing.

He drove all night, and so when the early morning’s rays began to creep over the terrain again he had arrived at his destination. A sense of heaviness fell over him as he slowly made his way to the tree and marked stone, wondering how much had changed… how much remained the same.

When he had regained his memories he had attempted to rush back to see if the tree had still been there. He couldn’t figure out a way to get Miranda to go out with him, though, without sounding like an idiot. So he had waited a couple of years, filled with worry that it would not be there anymore. That the park would be torn down, leaving only concrete walls in its place.

When he was sixteen he had finally been able to get away and travel down to his old home. It had been a hard trip to say the least. Thankfully, the park was still there, though it was much more manicured now, which had worried James greatly. There was no guarantee that their tree had survived. They could have cut it down… they could have even taken Bubbles’ grave away! The thought had almost made James throw up, but he had pushed on. He had needed to know.

James could still remember the sense of relief that had washed over him when he had seen the tree and grave. They were still there, seemingly untouched by human interference, like they should be. The rock was now covered in weeds and wildflowers, the etched in name barely visible behind all the wildlife, and the tree… oh the tree. It was beautiful. It was now taller than James and growing beautifully, arms spread out wide and strong, providing shelter for those who needed it. James had broken down the first time he had visited it, the heartbreaking memories consuming his very soul.

He had knelt down underneath its branches, feeling the dirt. He had buried Thomas’ ashes there, to always have that connection with him at this place, and he did feel him. James didn’t know if it was just his mind playing tricks, or if it was actually Thomas’ calming presence that he felt, but whatever it was, he clung on to it.

He had made it his personal mission to visit the tree at least three times a year, more if he could get away. It recharged him, gave him hope and strength to continue on when he needed it most. He had stopped visiting when he deemed that there was no hope in finding Silver, feeling too betrayed and hurt.

Once he had gotten his footing again, he only visited on Thomas’ birthday. Showing his remembrance and respect, but there was still a part of him that couldn’t get past the fact that he was here for nothing. That Thomas had been wrong.

Now, well now James felt horrible. Thankfully, the tree and stone marker were still there, same as ever. James had actually bought the park once he had the money to ensure that the place would remain the same, untouched and safe from greedy business realtors.

James reached out and touched the bark of the tree, feeling its silent song run through the rings, welcoming him, even though he didn’t deserve the welcome.

He sat down, leaning his back against the bark and closed his eyes, breathing in the air. He stayed like that in silence for several hours, just enjoying the connection that was so alive here. He felt the life come rushing back into his veins, rejuvenating him like no other processed medicine or man made object could ever do. This was all he really needed in life.

Once the sun was now more fully up in the sky, James opened his eyes and knelt forwards, towards Bubbles’ grave. He carefully pulled away some of the weeds that blocked the marker and cleaned up the area a bit. “How are you doing old buddy? Still resting peacefully?”

He quirked a smile as the wind seemed to pick up, as if giving an answer. He knew he was just projecting things, but it was nice that at least some response was given. Then he turned back to the tree, a lump in his throat already growing. It was already hard enough visiting when it was just for his own purposes. Now he actually needed answers that he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear.

“Hi.”

His voice sounded weird to his ears, like it wasn’t even really there, but yet was. James couldn’t describe it. The wind had stopped moving, even the birds had stopped twittering. It was as if all of nature was listening to what James had to say. James felt his face heat up, though he knew he was being irrational. Clearing his throat, he continued, “I should probably apologize first… for doubting you. I’ve been horrible, haven’t I?”

The wind rustled the leaves a tiny bit. James couldn’t tell if that was in agreeance or rejection. Did it really matter? “He’s here. Silver. And I don’t know what to do. I feel like I’m handling this all wrong, every time I try to help him I end up screwing up in some way. I just… why can’t it be easy?” James asked brokenly, tears blurring his vision. “It was so easy with you. We loved each other, no questions asked, unconditionally. Why can’t it be the same with him?”

_Because we aren’t the same._

It was like the answer just appeared in James’ mind, and wasn’t that the source of it all? Thomas and Silver were two people who were entirely different, and looking back at the relationships he had had with the two it was no wonder that he was having trouble with Silver in this life. Their love had grown from a place of hate and fear whereas James and Thomas’ love had grown from respect and friendship. Such different foundations, such different endings. It would stand to reason that James and Silver’s relationship could never be easy. It was not in their nature.

_You can still be happy together_

“How?” James asked. He couldn’t think of a way for that to be possible. The small bit of happiness that James had found with Silver in his old life had been riddled with worries and problems. It hadn’t been actual happiness; not like he had had with Thomas. Perhaps he should just give up.

 _No_.

“I want you, I miss you.”

 _I miss you too, but you still have to try, you can’t give up hope_.

Hope. What was hope when there were no answers?

_You have to let him grow. Be free._

Oh.

He closed his eyes. It was all too clear now. James berated himself for not seeing it sooner. He had been pushing himself into Silver’s life without so much as asking for permission. So eager to let their life together start, not wanting to waste any time, but that just wasn’t feasible. Not with their destructive tendencies. If James even wanted to have a chance with Silver he would have to back off, reach out slowly and carefully. Make sure that there was always an option for Silver to leave, for him to be free, or otherwise it would only end in disaster. It hurt and was incredibly frustrating, but it was the only way. Otherwise he would lose him forever, and James doubted he would be given a third chance.

“Thank you,” James said.

_I hope you two find happiness._

James smiled sadly, he hoped so too, but even with his new found reflection, he doubted that happiness was all that feasible for him. Still, he put on a smile, for the tree’s sake. “I hope so too.”

_Are you alright?_

It seemed like the question came out of nowhere, but it gave James pause. Of course Thomas would ask that, always caring for his well-being, making sure that he was taking care of himself. That was what the tree was there for, right?

 _“Grow strong my little one, and take care of James for me_.” James could still hear Thomas’ voice from all those years ago, imploring the tree to do, what James had thought at the time to be, the impossible.

“I’m fine.”

The breeze seemed to shake the limbs of the tree, making a rattling noise, as if it was protesting James’ words. Knowing that James wasn’t fine, but James couldn’t bear to say otherwise. He had to be fine, he would be fine.

Ignoring the tree’s concerns, he got up, giving the tree a final stroke.

“I love you.” No truer words had ever been spoken.

_I love you too._

And despite the misgiving tone, James knew the words rang true, and so he left the park and his own home feeling lighter than he had in decades.


	10. Peppermint Tea and Biscuits

Silver had grudgingly gone home that night, though sleep had evaded him. It felt wrong to be able to go back to his flat, even if it was a shitty excuse of a home, when he was partly to blame for two men never getting to see their family again except for behind bars.

The following day had been horrible as well, with Silver barely being able to make it through his classes. It was exam time coming up, not that Silver cared all that much. He had his job now, so what was the point? The prospect of actually starting the job terrified him though. How was he supposed to concentrate on anything when he was always going to be worried that if he screwed up he could get deported or some shit like that?

_I’m sorry._

Silver stared down at the message from Flint, an odd feeling of distaste rolling in his stomach. He closed his phone; he may have to work for the man, but he sure as hell would limit his association with him.

His phone beeped again, but he chose to ignore it. Instead, he walked into a suiting shop, his wallet already cringing at the thought of having to spend so much money on blasted clothes. Reason number 154 why he didn’t want to work for a corporation — snotty suits.

He went straight to the clearance rack, praying that there would be at least a blazer in his size. There was one that fit nicely around the chest and waist, though the sleeves were a bit too long. Beggars can’t be choosers though. As he went to the checkout, he unfortunately ran into Liam Morris.

From his little chat with some of the students while Flint had been talking to Willow, he had gathered that Morris was the one the employers had favoured. When it was announced that Silver was getting the job, Morris had made sure to let his displeasure be known.

Morris sneered down at Silver, obviously eyeing the cheaper suit. “I knew you were one of those lower class freaks.”

Silver bristled, he hated it when his income status was referred to. Not everyone started out with riches. “Excuse me,” he said, trying to get around the other man. Morris, however, was having none of that and blocked his path.

“I don’t know what sort of shit you pulled to get the job, but trust me, you won’t last a month.”

Silver smirked. “And why is that?”

“Walrus Corp is going down. You mark my words; it’ll be nothing but a failed investment by the end of the year.”

Silver perked up. Though he doubted that this waste of space would know anything, there could potentially be something here. “Then why the hell did you want to join the company then? Seems like a… _bad investment_.”

Morris turned an interesting shade of red, quickly pushing past Silver and exiting the shop. Silver watched him go, his deception signals going off in his head. After paying for his suit he made his way to a secluded corner and called Flint.

“Oh good, you got my message.”

“What do you know of Liam Morris?”

“What?”

Silver rolled his eyes, it was so inconvenient when people didn’t keep up. “Liam Morris, he was one of the prospects.”

“Oh, you mean the one Willow wanted to hire.”

“Yes, I need information on him.”

“Why?”

“I ran into him and I got this funny feeling. I think he may be linked to the corruption thing you were talking about.”

There was a pause, then, “so you still want to help me?”

Now it was Silver’s turn to pause. “Well… yeah, I did sign up for the job didn’t I?”

“So you didn’t get my message.”

Silver frowned. “Yeah I did, you said you’re sorry, what’s that got to do with this.”

Silver could hear Flint let out a frustrated sigh on the other side. “The other message I sent.”

Then Silver remembered hearing another message come in. Oh right, the one he had ignored. “Oh… no, I hadn’t read that one yet. What did it say?”

Silver could practically hear Flint roll his eyes. “I just said I could find you another job at another company if you want. One that pays well and where you wouldn’t be working under me if that makes you feel uncomfortable.”

Silver’s jaw dropped. It almost seemed like Flint was going out of his way to help him in any way possible. It made zero sense. “So… you are saying, that you can secure me a well paying job that has nothing to do with you?”

“Yes,” Flint’s voice was tight and small. Silver couldn’t make sense of it.

“Would you contact me ever again? After you got me the job.”

There was a pause. “No.”

Silver took a moment to gather his thoughts. This could literally be his ticket to freedom. He could get a secure, high paying gig, and he wouldn’t have to work hard to get it. Wasn’t that what he wanted?

No, it wasn’t. A well paying job was still working under someone, and if what Flint had offered at that lunch was still up for grabs, that was something that was much more inline with Silver’s wishes than any other job Silver would ever take. “Is the one you already offered me still available?”

“Wh… yes! Yes, you can still have that job.”

Silver smirked, it was good to know he was still wanted. “Then I will stay where I am.”

“Okay, good.”

“Good. So anyways, now that is over with, back to business. Can I have information on Morris?”

“I can send you the files that the company has on him. I can go deeper, though, it won’t be necessarily the legalist thing to do.”

Silver smirked, let’s see if the pattern repeated itself. “He called me a freak.”

…

“He did _what?_!”

“Can I come over?” Silver asked, a shit eating grin gracing his features. “You can set up everything needed, and I’ll do the research. It’ll be quicker that way.”

“Quicker isn’t always better,” Flint mumbled.

Silver raised an eyebrow. “What was that?”

“Nothing. Yes, you can come over. What time were you thinking?”

“I’ll be there in half-an-hour. See yah!”

Silver hanged up before Flint could respond.

During that conversation Silver had realized three things — One, Silver was already far too invested in figuring out what this corruption business was about to back out. Two, he didn’t really give all that much shit about what Flint had done to those two men. They were assholes and his life was much better off without them, and three, for whatever reason, Flint was wholeheartedly enamoured with Silver and would, from what Silver had noted so far, do anything for him. Now why would Silver let an opportunity like that go to waste?

+

James paced back and forth around the kitchen, trying but failing to keep calm. For the past ten years, everything that he did had been perfectly in his control. Every decision that was made was to his doing, every action that took place was because he wished it to happen. He would have had it no other way.

Then in comes Silver and everything gets blown out of control. Could the fact that he felt even his business slipping through his fingers be a part of that? Could Silver be somehow behind all of it?

No, he was just being crazy. Silver was just an… unfortunate consequence that he had to deal with. Though, he was surprised that Silver hadn’t taken the chance to run when he had offered it. Shouldn’t Silver still be in the flight stage? Then again, James didn’t know the circumstances that had led Silver to this point in his life. For all he knew, Silver had already learned some hard life lessons that had shaped him in a way that was totally foreign to the man James had known. He was still the same core man underneath, though, so James just had to tap into that.

The doorbell rang. James had to physically prepare himself before going and opening the door. Silver stood there with a cocky smile on his face, full of assuredness and schemes. It came to James with a stab that he had not seen that smile in a long long time. Probably not ever since he had lost his leg.

He missed it.

Silver cleared his throat, the smile sort of falling off his face as they stood there looking at each other. James jolted, realizing how awkward he was being and shuffled to the side, letting Silver past. His ears were burning red.

The smile came back to full voltage as Silver sauntered into the house, as if he owned the place. Without even so much as a pause he strode to the sitting room, James following awkwardly behind him. Not even asking for permission, Silver took the laptop that James had set up and began getting to work. James stood at the doorway stiffly, feeling totally out of place in his own home.

“Er… would you like something to drink?... Eat?”

Silver looked up and flashed another blinding smile at him. “Just tea would be great.”

James nodded his head and went off to the kitchen. Once there he realized that he didn’t know what kind of tea Silver would like. Would it be awkward if he went back and asked? Yes, yes it would be... but then what should James do? He looked at his assortment of teas, feeling totally lost. Did he want a black tea, green… white?

What was this man doing to him?

With a groan of frustration, he grabbed six different types and spread out the tea bags on a tray. Then came the question of whether or not to bring out a snack. Silver had just asked for tea, but wasn’t it proper decorum to bring out something else as well? James hadn’t had actual guests over in a long time so he didn’t really know the whole etiquette situation these days.

Gods!! Why was he being all bothered over this? Silver practically lived on the streets, he wouldn’t care. In the end, James grabbed some biscuits along with the tea.

Silver looked up when James entered, a quirky little smile gracing his features as he saw the setup that James had provided. He must think James was stupid.

He leaned forward and picked up a mug, then paused, looking up at James through fluttering eye lashes. Mischief evident. “I prefer a slice of lemon in my tea.”

James froze for a couple of seconds. Of fucking course he would want lemon, what had he been thinking? He turned abruptly, hell bent on getting some lemon slices, when a hand reached out, grabbing his wrist. He looked down at it in surprise.

“Relax,” Silver said, a twinkle in his eye, “I’m joking. This is fine.”

It was at that moment that James realized that Silver was doing it once again. Reading him, tunneling his way through James’ mind and unlocking his secrets. Already he knew how to play James like a fiddle and that was dangerous. Who knew what he could get James to do?

James quickly retracted his wrist, making sure to sit down on the opposite side of the room. Silver kept a smile on his face, though, it didn’t seem quite as bright as it had been before. He leaned over and picked the peppermint tea bag. James would remember that for next time.

“Have you found anything?” James finally ventured to ask. Silver frowned as he turned back to the laptop.

“It’s weird. This Morris guy shouldn’t, by all accounts, have even been considered as a prospect. He’s nowhere near the top thirty percent at his school and his first two CFA exams did not go well to say the least. Yet… somehow, he got the highest score on the third exam. It doesn’t make sense.”

“What are these CFA exams you’re talking about?”

Silver froze, looking up in disbelief. “You’re joking… right?”

James wanted to curse himself. Why couldn’t he have just kept his big mouth shut? “Er… no.”

“You are the owner of the top financial bank in Europe… hell you are even up there competing against some of those American companies. You’re telling me you don’t know what the CFA’s are? When did you go to school? Gods, you must be ancient.”

James breathed sharply through his nose. He was most certainly not. “I didn’t go to school. And I’m not _that_ old.”

Silver actually put aside his laptop, leaning forward in interest. “You didn’t go to school? Then how did you get this far?”

James snorted. “The school system is set up as a capitalistic setting where they are churning out people who are able to work under others. Isn’t that what all your classes are teaching you? How to do well in the financial system, but only within the barriers that are provided for you? They are teaching everyone the same thing so the status quo remains the same. You can’t be creative, you can’t be different with what you are learning, so if you only take what you were taught in school there is no way you would ever get to a position of power. Now why would I put myself through that?”

Silver shook his head. “There are tons of people that have gone through the system and become successful.”

“Successful? Yes. Dominant? No. Those are harder to find, and even rarer still — those who are not corrupt and dominant. It’s not possible in this world.”

“So you’re saying you are corrupt?”

James smirked. “That’s for you to decide.”

Silver leaned back, lips closed together in a tight grin. “Did you always come from money? Cause those that come from privilege always are the first to scoff at the very system that created the opportunity that they are so blessed with.”

James paused, wondering how to reply without revealing too much. “My situation was… different. I had money, but not in the sense that you are thinking. Though you are right, I did have an advantage over others and so I would not put myself in the bracket that we have mentioned. You, however, could just so happen to be one of those one in a million.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Just a hunch.”

Silver smirked, but James could tell that he was quite pleased with James’ assessment of him. James then looked over at the bag that Silver had brought over.

“What’s that?”

Silver raised an eyebrow. “Just a blazer that I bought. Have to look presentable when I start working don’t I?”

James went over and took the offending item out of the bag. Even from a cursory glance, James knew it would not do. “This doesn’t even fit you.”

“Yes it does,” Silver said.

James rolled his eyes. He had not been buying Silver clothes for the past who knows how long to not recognize when something was not Silver’s size. “The arms are too long, and it will be a bit too loose around the waist.”

Silver got up and grabbed the item out of his hands. “Well _sorry_. Not everyone can afford eight thousand dollar suits.”

James let out a growl, turning around and striding out of the room. He went to his second closet and grabbed five suits that he knew would fit Silver perfectly. He went back and threw them at him. “Take these.”

Silver looked down at them in aghast. “Okay, you have to stop giving me your clothes.”

“They aren’t mine, and they’ll fit you, so I don’t see the problem.”

“Then whose are they?”

James opened and closed his mouth, trying to come up with an answer that would at least satisfy Silver for now. “They’re my… brother’s. He’s dead now, army, didn’t even get a chance to wear most of those stuff so they’re mostly new. He was your size… so you know… they’ll fit.”

Silver looked at him with pity, which made James curse himself for coming up with such an excuse. What did they say? Ah right, the truth will set you free. Like hell it would. Nothing could set him free. He was forever cursed.

“I don’t know what to say…”

Warning bells rang off in James’ head and he immediately, without thinking, leapt over and placed his hand over Silver’s mouth. Silver recoiled in shock, tumbling back over the coach. “What the fuck was that for?”

James felt like banging his head on the wall. He was an idiot. “You… were... going to say… something,” he said lamely.

Silver stared at him unimpressed. “Yes, but that doesn’t explain why you had to attack me!”

“When you said ‘I don’t know what to say’ you usually follow that up with saying something stupid and hurtful in a way… I don’t feel like being emotionally attacked right now.”

“I’m sorry,” said Silver bitingly, “but when have I said those words to you before?”

James blinked at Silver several times, he was obviously digging himself into a deeper hole every time he opened his mouth. “You haven’t.”

“Then how the fuck are you able to make such grand assumptions about me?”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking when I spoke. It won’t happen again.”

Silver looked away, seemingly to collect his thoughts. James wouldn’t be surprised if Silver would just get up and leave right this second. This seemed to be a common theme playing and James was screwing up every chance he got. Why couldn’t he have just listened to Thomas? Then again, Silver hadn’t really given him that chance.

“Why are you here?”

Silver looked back at him, wariness still etched into his features. “To research on Morris.”

“No,” said James, “that is your excuse for being here. I’m asking why you haven’t left yet, why you haven’t run away. Why the hell are you still agreeing to work with me, when frankly, you have no reason to do so?”

Silver swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and he slowly sat down. “I’m here because you can afford me an opportunity that I won’t get anywhere else. I’m here because I believe that you will deliver on that opportunity and that this opportunity will benefit me in far greater ways than I can imagine at the moment.”

“You’ll still be working in a system. A system that you abhor.”

“I’ll be the one pulling the strings though, and in this world? That’s the best I can do isn’t it?” Silver smiled self-deprecatingly. It was with sudden clarity that James realized that Silver never saw much hope in this life. That he didn’t have many aspirations or dreams. That he was literally planning on just going into the stock and bonds system that sucked people dry and hoped that he would come out of it with some sense of dignity left.

A tiny, small plan started to form in James head. It was risky and would in no way be ready to present to Silver at the moment. Perhaps they would never even develop a relationship where he would be able to share the idea with him, but it was something to work towards. Something that he could create and develop in the hopes that one day, he would be able to give it over to Silver and he would take it, no questions asked. Something that would set Silver free, and would provide him with something that he didn’t even dream he could ever achieve — a family.


	11. Professor Scott

Silver sat outside of his profs’ office door, wishing for all the world that he could be anywhere else. Even hanging out with Flint would be more preferable than this. Actually, hanging out with Flint wouldn’t be all that bad if he was honest with himself, but nonetheless, that was not possible at the moment. He had received an email from his prof last night, asking him to come to office hours next morning to go over some things. What those things could be… Silver had no idea.

He had left Flint’s house with more questions than answers. While he knew that he was probably on to something with Morris, there was nothing he could really do about it at the moment. Besides, the conversation had gotten… weird.

The only thing that stopped Silver from hightailing it was that Flint didn’t look at Silver like he was someone who was beneath him, or someone who needed coddling. No, he looked at him like he was an equal. A partner, that he wanted to help and provide for. It was weird to say the least, and Silver still didn’t quite understand the whole picture.

Professor Scott opened the door and invited Silver in. Silver barely suppressed a sigh as he entered into the squishy room and sat down. His time could be so much better spent than listening to a stuck up prof try and argue with him.

“Why did you ask me to come visit?” Silver asked.

“I see you have gotten the position at Walrus Corp.”

Silver raised an eyebrow. That was unexpected. Though he knew that a lot of the professors kept an eye out for potential openings in the financial world and let their students know about them, Professor Scott was never one of them. “Yeah, so?”

“Are you sure this is the right path for you?”

Really? This was what he wanted to talk to Silver about? It wasn’t like he had cared before. Forcing his features into a fake smile, he responded, “It was a highly coveted position, I fail to see how this would not be the right path for me.”

Professor Scott narrowed his eyes, he was one of the few people who could see through Silver’s bullshit, which annoyed the hell out of Silver. “I don’t mean to offend, but I expected more from you.”

Silver gritted his teeth, how dare this bastard come at him like that. He had gotten a job at the highest ranking banking company in Europe. How much higher up could he have gone?

Professor Scott sighed, “what I mean to say is that getting to know you this past semester has shed light to certain things. Every professor in this program talks about how great and talented you are, and how you’ll go so far in the financial world. When I saw you were in my class this semester I expected to encounter another straight jacket, blue collar student who went by the books. That is decidedly not you.”

“I’m sorry, but what is the point in all of this?”

“Most people think my class is pointless to take. Why the hell would political ethics be relevant at all in the financial world? Luckily the dean agrees with me and makes it a mandatory course, but most people do not take it seriously. In all of my classes that I have taught, you are the only student to have shown some shred of understanding as to what I’m trying to teach.”

Silver was incredibly confused. He had thought this class would be a joke… well not a joke per say, he knew from others that it was incredibly hard to get a good mark in it, but he had pushed those warnings aside. Most of the classes he had taken where others had said they were hard had been incredibly easy for him. He had thought this was going to be the same. Boy had he been wrong.

“Thanks, I guess?”

Professor Scott rolled his eyes. How rude, Silver thought. “Yes, but I see how wrong I was about you considering that you have just decided to join the ranks of all the mindless others in the financial world.”

“What the hell do you know? You don’t know what it is like to be a student nowadays. You take whatever job you can get. You can’t pick and choose, the world won’t let you.”

“Do not presume what I do or do not know,” Professor Scott said, “I have a daughter who finished her education not too long ago. She is now hoping to get nominated in the election next year and change the system. Perhaps even change everyone’s ideology. I know the immense struggles she will have to face, and the immense backlash she will receive, but I will support her through it because at least she is trying to make change happen.”

“Well good for your daughter, but I don’t see how that is at all relevant to me.”

“You have come from nothing. You know how the financial system fails all those who are not at the top. They keep saying money will trickle down, but when has that ever happened? It won’t and it never will. This system is broken and each year I see more mindless students be put into it with the intention of trying to profit from that system. I would have hoped that you, who have experienced the cruelties of such a system, would want it changed, not just feed its fire.”

Silver couldn’t take this anymore. “I don’t know what the fuck you expect from me, but you put your eggs in the wrong basket. I only look out for myself and only myself. I don’t care about anyone else and I have learned, the hard way, that no one gives a fuck about me. So when someone comes along and gives me an opportunity to prosper, to get out of the shitty situation that I am in, then I will take it.”

“The system you are entering in is corrupt. I know the signs, I have worked inside of such a company and know when things are about to fall. This opportunity is not as golden plated as you think it is.”

Silver smirked. “You think I don’t know that? That is what drew me in in the first place.”

Professor Scott’s mouth dropped open. Silver knew he had one upped him.

“You’re right you know. I wouldn’t have taken the job, but I have received this opportunity that is too good to pass up. A chance to gain power and perhaps even freedom, and I’m selfish. I can’t let such a chance get away from me.”

“You’re playing with fire.”

“And so is your daughter. Don’t try and pretend she’s different. Perhaps we’ll both change the world in our own ways Professor, but I would appreciate it if you stay out of my way while I’m doing my business.”

Professor Scott nodded his head. “Very well, I wish you the best of luck.”

Silver nodded, getting up to leave.

“By the way, you’ll get an A.”

Silver froze, turning around, eyebrows raised. “Not an A+?”

“Don’t push your luck.”

Silver smirked, leaving, he’ll take it. After all, it would be the first time the professor would have given an A to any of his students in all of his time teaching at the school. Not bad Silver, not bad at all.


	12. Moving In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh sorry for the wait!!! :(

Two days later Silver returned home from school, only to find out that a gas pipe had burst under the apartment building meaning everyone had to evacuate. It was going to be at least a couple of weeks until it would be safe to go back in.

Well… Silver was fucked. He didn’t have the money to find a place, and the damn fucking landlord of the building wasn’t giving anyone a dime. Stating it wasn’t his fault and they could all fuck themselves. Maybe not in those exact words, but that was the gist of it.

Anyways, that meant that for at least a couple weeks, though probably longer knowing how slow things got done in this damn city, he was homeless. He could apply for emergency assistance shelter, but that was always a precarious process that would end up causing more problems than Silver needed in his life.

“FUCK!” Silver yelled, kicking at a garbage can. That turned out to be a bad idea seeing as the resulting effects were a stubbed toe and a side screaming in pain. He was so ready for his stupid ribs to be healed. He had had enough with the pain.

In fact, he had had just about enough with everything. Why had he thought scamming people for money had been a good idea? Like really, he should have known better than that.

He looked around, not knowing what to do. Pulling out his phone he looked through his scarce contacts. Most of the people on there would not even consider helping him… except for Flint. Could he? That was getting into dangerous territory right there though. That level of reliance — the amount he would owe him — would be too much. Then again… it was an opportunity, and Silver would just have to set some ground rules. Yes, ground rules were the way to go, besides, it would only be for a couple of weeks. It wasn’t like he was moving in or anything. Mind set, Silver called Flint.

+

James had at first been incredibly surprised by Silver’s request. He never in a million years would have expected Silver to come to him for help in such a situation. Not with where their relationship was currently at. James, of course, had jumped at the opportunity. What could he say? He was a selfish man.

So here Silver was, standing at his doorstep with a couple bags of clothes and some boxes full of knick-knacks, but that was it. James was still kind of confused as to why Silver was here, but he let him in to explain the situation more fully. He still couldn’t get over how little Silver had when it came to worldly possessions.

As he learned of the situation, however, it just made James’ blood boil. Silver had been living in a shit-hole and was basically left on the street with nothing. How could anyone do such a thing?

Now, James knew he was being a hypocrite. He didn’t care one iota about the other people who were left stranded. Sure he felt sorry for them, but it wasn’t like he was going to open up his doors for them. Silver, though, Silver was, for lack of a better word, _his_.

If Silver knew what James thought of him, he would be running for the woods though. It was maddening that he could do so little to help this Silver, when all he wanted was to give this one a better life. One that was impossible to achieve back in the 18th century.

Still though, this had given James a wondrous opportunity. Silver said that the apartment should be livable again in about two weeks’ time. That gave James two weeks to convince Silver that it was better off for him to stay here than return to that death trap.

What was it that Silver once had said to him? Ah yes, “ _Well that’s a few weeks from now. We might be friends by then_.”

Oh how young and naïve Silver had been back then. So unaware of everything that would come to pass. Still though, he had been right in a way. They had become friends of sorts. Granted it had taken a bit longer than a couple of weeks, but it had happened.

James just had to make sure that happened again here.

“Fine you can pay rent, though I don’t see the point. I have no need for your money.”

“It’s not about the money,” said Silver, “it’s what the money represents.”

“Yeah yeah. Whatever. You can keep your pride. How about £150 for the month?”

Silver frowned. “That’s way too low.”

Jesus. Why did he have to be so goddamn stubborn? “I fail to see the problem here.”

Silver opened and closed his mouth. It was funny to see him like this, unsure of what to say. It was an unusual sight. “Fine,” he finally agreed. He didn’t look happy about it, which was frankly quite ridiculous. He should be, at the least, content with the deal he was getting, not looking like he was signing away his life. Well whatever was the matter, it was Silver’s problem not his.

“Great. Please sign the check to James Barlow. You can pay me at the end of your stay.”

“Check?”

“Yes, check. Is that a problem?”

“Why can’t I pay in cash?”

“I don’t like cash. It’s too troublesome. You do have a bank account don’t you?”

Silver scowled. “Of course I do. It’s just… hang on, you paid me a thousand bucks in cash last week.”

James sighed. “Yes, I just so happened to have that with me. I normally don’t carry such amounts, and prefer not to have loose change lying around. Unless you are unable to provide me with a check with a valid reason I must insist that you pay through such means."

Silver sighed. “Fine.”

James nodded. “Good, well I guess that’s settled then. You can help yourself to whatever food is in the kitchen. If you want to watch T.V. it’s in the media room downstairs and to your right. If you want to read, you are welcome to any of the books in my library. It’s upstairs and third door on the left.”

“Oh, there is one other thing I would like to discuss,” Silver said.

James raised an eyebrow, but made no move to talk. Silver took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. “We will not… sleep together during these two weeks, or however long it takes for the apartment to be made livable again, okay? We are about to enter a business arrangement and it is best not to let… feelings get involved.”

James arched an eyebrow. “Feelings?” Was Silver inadvertently admitting something here?

Silver shot him a hard glare. “This… whatever this is, started through the context of a client-prostitute agreement.”

“Now hold on one minute,” James objected, “I would have never slept-”

“But you do find me attractive, do you not?”

James opened and closed his mouth, feeling like he was caught between a rock and a bad place. Damn the man — he could even feel his body betraying him, the flush of red creeping up his cheeks for all the world to see. Silver’s smirk led no doubts that he knew the answer to that question. James had to save face.

“Despite whatever… bodily attraction I may find in you, that is of inconsequence. I agree, we shall not sleep together, but you were at fault to believe you needed to voice such concerns — there was never any worry of that happening.”

Silver nodded, though his face was decidedly blank. “Good.”

“Good.”

They stood there in silent for several moments, letting things get awkward.

James got up and made to exit.

“Where are you going?”

“I have work to do. If you need anything I’ll be in my office.”

Without turning around, he made a swift escape. Sitting down in his office he breathed a sigh of relief. He had been afraid for a second that Silver would not be able to pay with a check. It was much harder to return money through cash form. With a check, James just didn’t have to ever cash it in. Sure Silver would realize soon enough what was going on, but James could handle his wrath when it came to that.

And as for not sleeping with Silver? Well, James had been abstinent for much longer than a couple of weeks. He would be fine… he hoped.

+

Silver did not know what the fuck he had gotten himself into. Agreeing to live in Flint’s house? What the hell had he been thinking? It was madness to say the least.

Going into the guest room, he put down his sparse belongings and looked around. He was already viewing this room as his own and wasn’t that a major warning sign? The beating in his ribs hurt, though, oh how they hurt. Silver almost wished he had pain medication, but no, he would not become dependent on such things.

He didn’t feel hungry, and the pain just made him want to go to sleep, so he crawled into bed for an early night.

…

_He spies Flint sitting alone, playing with a piece of rope. He knows that Flint would prefer to be alone right now, but he can’t help but be drawn towards him. There is just something about the other man that calls out to him — it makes Silver feel uncomfortable._

_For now, he pushes that to the side of his mind and approaches his captain. He still calls him captain in his mind, Silver is sure that is what he will always be to him — his captain._

_He grabs a bucket and sits down upon it, scooting closer to Flint as they talk. They talk about getting back the crew, the gold, themselves. Flint prods him on why he is doing this and so Silver decides to come clean._

_“Being a pirate on this crew for a little while longer, it offers me an opportunity I don’t believe I can find anywhere else on Earth… one big prize. And with it, freedom — from water, from Randall, from hunger, from wages,” he pauses and looks up at Flint, right in the eyes, “from you.”_

_Even as he says those words, even as he says he wants to get away from Flint, he gets that funny feeling inside of him whenever it feels like he is lying not only to others, but to himself. He knows he will leave once he gets the gold, but he knows that a part of him will want to say… and that is exactly why he has to leave._

…

Silver woke up to the morning sound of annoying birds chirping in the air. He felt… he wasn’t really certain how he felt. The dream he had was still running through his mind, confusing him, and it wasn’t going away like most dreams do. It was staying at the forefront of his mind, teasing him, calling out to him. It was like it was a string that was wanting to be pulled, that there was more there… but he couldn’t quite reach it, it was just out of his reach.

Getting up, Silver did his best to push the annoying dream out of his mind. At least in the dream he had two legs this time. Good god, here he was comparing the status of his dreams, there must be something wrong with him. Pushing such thoughts out of his mind, he carefully made his way to the kitchen, not sure what the morning protocol was supposed to be. Would he have to make his own breakfast? Was he even allowed to eat breakfast? What was he supposed to do?

In the end, his worries were for nothing, Flint was already up and about, making them both an omelette. Silver was going to get fucking spoiled throughout these next two weeks. He loved it.


	13. Kitchen Mess

James hadn’t known what to expect having Silver live with him, but what ended up happening was surprisingly nice. They managed to set up a routine. James would make them breakfast, then he would go off to work, Silver to school, afterwards, James would make dinner and they would sit and talk for hours.

It wasn’t like with Thomas. With Thomas they would have dialogues, discussing possible ways to make the world better. Questioning each other’s opinions, pushing one another to see the world in a different way, but always being respectful of what the other had to say.

With Silver, it was much more debate style. They would argue over the littlest things from whether or not it was better to wear a tie nowadays to business meetings, or to big things like opinions on major political events. Most of the time they were on the same side for the big things, they just always had different ways of dealing with the problem and both set out to prove the other wrong. It was invigorating to say the least.

It also reminded James about their time in the 18th century and all that it entailed. Back then, at certain times they had reached a point where they were able to banter back and forth like they were doing now, but it was always shrouded by the blanket of impending doom. There was none of that here, which just made everything that much better.

Except it wasn’t, because Silver would never be interested in James in this life. He would never be able to kiss him, he would never be able to just hold him, or whisper little stories into his ear as Silver drifted off to sleep. He would never be able to help Silver wash his hair, gently work his fingers through the dark strands, pulling on the curls.

He would never be able to do any of that because they were to be business partners and this wasn’t the 18th century where they only had each other. This was the 21st century, you only had to go online or go to the right pub and be able to find someone who shared your interests. Silver may not be doing that now, but James knew he was going to soon. For after all, in this life, Silver was 23 and James was 30, and that was a big age gap.

+

It was the last day of classes. Tomorrow he would be starting at Walrus Corp. Going back to the bottom, being used for other’s gain, just another tool in the shed. Perhaps Professor Scott was right, perhaps this wasn’t the right path for him, it hadn’t been what he had wanted in the first place. But It was too late now. Hell, he was freaking living with Flint for the time being, he couldn’t back out.

As he packed up he looked down at his professor. He was sorting through some papers, not paying attention to what the other students were doing. The majority of the class had vanished, finally free from what they viewed to be hell. In hindsight, the class hadn’t been that bad. The course material had been interesting and had shed a different light on the whole system. Silver doubted any of the other students had gotten anything out of it though, he had barely even gotten anything out of it himself until he had been called into Professor Scott’s office. He had then gone back and reviewed all of his notes, seen a thread, an understanding, that though he did not necessarily agree with, could see why it was an important, valuable opinion to have shared. It was wasted on financial students.

He slowly approached Professor Scott, feeling strangely nervous — he wasn’t usually hesitant to approach instructors. Professor Scott looked up at him, eyebrows raised in surprise. “What can I do for you, John?”

Silver bristled at the use of his first name. He hated it… well that wasn’t exactly true, he just didn’t like other people calling him by that name. Made them seem too familiar with him, something he never wanted. He then remembered that Flint had called him John a couple of weeks ago when he had come to him for help. Silver hadn’t registered it at the time, but now that he thought back on it, it unnerved him. Thankfully, Flint had never called him John again, but that brought up a whole set of new questions. Why hadn’t he continued to call him John? Usually Silver had to specifically ask people not to call him by his first name, Flint just seemed to know. Like he always seemed to know everything about Silver.

Silver quickly shook his head, he wouldn’t think about that now; Flint did not need to take up more space in his brain than necessary. “I just want to say that I appreciate the different perspective that you have offered me. I don’t feel like it fits in with my lifestyle, but hopefully one day you will find the student who will change the world for you.”

Professor Scott seemed pleased, like he knew something about this situation that Silver was clueless about. “Thank you. I wish you all the best, and don’t cut yourself short. You have a keen mind and lively imagination, don’t let that go to waste.”

Silver nodded his head, he felt strangely uncomfortable in this situation, so wanted to make a quick exit. “Yes well, I hope all goes well, and I wish your daughter best of luck.”

The smile that graced Professor Scott’s face was warmer than any expression Silver had seen all semester. “I’ll pass that on.”

Silver would never understand why such instructors wasted their time trying to teach disinterested university students when they could be doing so much more with their life. Then again, Silver didn’t know Professor Scott’s backstory, so perhaps he shouldn’t be so quick to judge.

He didn’t look back as he exited the university building. He wouldn’t be going back.

+

James started looking online, there were a few places that looked alright, but there just seemed to be something missing. Probably because James was looking at it through a computer screen. It was hard to tell what the lighting actually would be like when looking at a photo that was most likely photoshopped. Besides he needed the right aesthetic.

That was when James knew he had to take a break. Aesthetic? What was he, some hipster who was looking for the new edgy photo for his Instagram account? He was looking for a damn building. Closing his laptop bitterly he headed into the kitchen… only to find it to be in shambles.

“What the fuck is going on in here?”

Silver whipped around, huge smile plastered on his face with all of his clothes covered in some sort of chocolate concoction. Flour and butter were lining the walls and all sorts of appliances were strewn around the place. It was giving James a headache.

“I’m making dessert,” Silver said, wiping his hands on a cloth — his hands were probably the only clean things about him.

“You bloody well are not,” James replied, his beautiful kitchen, all in ruins. Why?

Silver frowned slightly, expression falling into a pout. It was adorable, but also weird. His Silver had never pouted, but then again, his Silver had lost a leg and was responsible for a ship full of men. This Silver was still on his own. If Silver was smart, he would use that pout to his advantage… oh who was James trying to kid? He would most likely end up bowing to Silver’s whims and wishes in the end… with only mild complaining that was.

“I’m sorry about the mess, seems I don’t really know how to bake,” Silver said, there was mirth in his eyes, however, which led James to believe that Silver was in no way morose about any of this.

“Really? Whatever gave you that idea?”

“Hey! I was just trying.”

James rolled his eyes, going over to the sink and filling it up. Might as well get started on the damage.

“Besides,” Silver continued, “you never make dessert, so I thought I’d give it a try. I’ve always had a sweet tooth that I have never had much opportunity to indulge.”

He didn’t make desserts. He never made desserts. Desserts…

“Are you alright?” Silver’s voice was distant, James could dimly register the concern it held, but at that point James couldn’t concentrate on it. He was drowning in memories and it hurt. By god it hurt.

A hand reached out to touch his arm, James jerked back, stumbling till he hit the wall, head smarting in pain. He then came back, to the kitchen, to this life. To this fucking excuse of a life where he was just trying to… what? Take care of a lost cause? He was in love with someone who would turn on him at the first notice, who didn’t even care what happened to him.

He was in love with someone who lied and cheated, who only looked after themselves, and if history repeated itself? Well then that would never change. He would be left with just a broken heart, and like last time, he wouldn’t be able to survive.

No matter how much Thomas tried to prepare him for this, no matter how much therapy he did, he would be lost when that happened. So why was he doing this to himself?

“Clean this up,” his voice was cold, and he was certain his whole face was closed off. Judging by Silver’s stare, he was right now the monster the history books knew him to be.

Taking a deep breath, he stormed out of the kitchen and down the hall to his room. There he locked himself in and let his demons take over.


	14. To Work We Go

Silver had not gotten a good night’s sleep that night, that was to say, he had barely slept at all. He just couldn’t get over how Flint’s face had closed off, becoming this alternative being. Silver had never witnessed anything like it before. He had assumed that Flint had his secrets and issues, but this was more than anything that Silver ever expected to handle.

At first he had wanted to run, run far away and never turn back. Like after what Flint had done for him with those two men, but this was different though. Then, Silver had felt morally wrong, like his actions were partly to blame for ruining those two guys’ lives. This, however, was entirely different. It was like the man Silver had started to get to know was another man altogether.

After the initial flight response had died down, in its place left a burning curiosity, almost bordering on want. He wanted to get to know who this Flint person was. Who was he hiding behind his many layers, what made him tick? You didn’t just become a multi-billionaire because you wanted to, that took a certain type of person and Silver wanted to know who that person was.

He wasn’t just in this for the money and power anymore. He wanted to know this man, get under his skin, figure out everything about him. It may be dangerous, but fuck it, Silver was intrigued... and when had that ever turned out badly?

Flint came into the kitchen, eyes bloodshot and dark bags under his eyes. It seemed he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep either. He just nodded at Silver before heading to the coffee machine to pour himself a cup. At least Silver could manage that without breaking everything.

Silver had cleaned up the kitchen after the incident. He didn’t quite know what had triggered him into wanting to try baking of all things. He never would have attempted to do so in his own apartment… then again he didn’t have any of the appliances or ingredients to do so. It was also true that he had a sweet tooth that wanted to be indulged. Silver had been so ready to stuff himself with all the sweet delicacies that Flint could offer when he had moved in. As the days had trickled past, however, not a single sweet dish was offered. It was like Flint abhorred the taste.

So Silver had decided to go out and try to make something for himself. Having no cooking skills, it had, unsurprisingly, turned out to be a disaster. He had thought Flint would be mad, but amused at the same time. That was what Silver had been picking up on with him — Flint liked to pretend to be annoyed with what Silver said or did, but really he secretly liked it. That was most definitely not the case with this situation.

Sitting at the kitchen table the next morning, Silver didn’t know what to say. He had decided that he wanted to get to know Flint, but would Flint even want him in the house anymore? Silver hadn’t taken that factor into account.

“You’re starting today right?” Flint asked, getting out a big bowl and a skillet. Silver nodded, watching in interest and Flint got out the ingredients — flour, baking powder, salt, sugar. He wasn’t sure it was safe to speak yet.

“It’s best if you transit it there. Won’t take you long.”

Silver nodded again. Though he wished he could drive with Flint, he knew why it was better this way. It would look extremely odd if he showed up for work in the boss’ car. That would draw unwanted attention to him.

… was Flint making pancakes?

Sure enough, Flint was dropping little round dollops of homemade pancake mix on the skillet. It was messing with Silver’s brain. He even added blueberries and chocolate chips to some of them.

Once ready, Flint set a plate full of the beautiful delicacies in front of Silver. He then paused, shuffling from foot to foot, and playing with his spatula. Silver waited patiently for Flint to start speaking. That was another thing he was learning around Flint — patience.

“This is all I can do.”

Silver’s eyes shot up. He did not know what to make of that statement. It sounded apologetic, like Flint was trying to say he was sorry for something, but for what? Was he saying that he could only apologize through pancakes? But what part was he apologizing for? For getting mad at him? For running out? For what?

Flint was looking at Silver, his eyes seemed almost desperate in a way, as if pleading with Silver to understand. “Okay,” Silver said, though he didn’t know what he was agreeing to. This seemed to appease Flint, since he nodded his head and turned back to the skillet, making himself a plate. His pancakes were notably missing the blueberries and chocolate chips.

The pancakes tasted weird. There was nothing wrong with them, they just seemed to hold this weight to them that no pancake should have to hold. They were just fluffy goodness, meaning shouldn’t be placed on them, but in this household? One never knew what to expect.

+

Silver surveyed the office workspace. In this low-ranking job everyone was in cubicles. Separated by just thin metal and cloth. It was depressing and Silver was not looking forward to when he was actually supposed to do the job he was here for.

A bored supervisor gave him a quick run through of the computer system and how the office space worked. Silver barely paid attention, knowing that he would be better off tinkering with the system by himself then listening to whatever this dimwit had to say.

He was more interested in the people working there. So far, nobody stood out to him. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it would have been nice to have a place to start. There was a clear division between the lower level employees and upper ones though. Which was to say, there were no higher ups anywhere in sight. They all had their fancy offices at the upper floors and would send out emails or instant messages if they needed a lowerling to come up.

They were basically slaves in a sense. How the fuck was Silver supposed to accomplish anything here?

Silver spent the morning being truly depressed. He felt like he had been scammed into this disaster of a job, and he couldn’t help thinking that the corruption story was just a scheme to get him to work for the company. Fuck, perhaps this whole thing was to get the highest prospect into the system, he should have never taken the job.

As lunchtime rolled around, things got interesting. Silver used his charming attitude and quick wit to get people interested in him. It wasn’t hard, this was what he was good at after all. Throughout his undergraduate people had noted that he should have gone into public relations or something of the sort. Finance was where the money was, though, and Silver had always wanted money.

“So is it normally always this boring?” Silver asked, he was still holding on to the hope that today was just a slow day.

Farjad, a slim brown man with huge glasses let out a laugh. “This is actually an interesting day. Normally we don’t have fresh meat joining our circle. It’s usually like this, but more monotone.”

“Only time anything ever happens is when the fuckers upstairs calls on us for help, and usually then it’s only to run photocopies or some shit like that. Fucking lazy bastards,” another man said who Silver hadn’t caught the name of yet.

“What are the chances of getting promoted?” Silver inquired.

Farjad laughed. “Slow down there, tiger! Wait your turn, some of us have been here five years, you aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.”

Silver felt his hopes plummet. Well fuck, what had he gotten himself into? As he looked around, however, an idea started forming in his mind. These people were all worked to the bone. They weren’t necessarily doing hard work, but it was tedious and boring without much reward. Right now, they didn’t trust him, but once Silver worked his magic?… he would find a way to make his two years here enjoyable.


	15. Checks and Leases

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, life has been kind of hectic lately

Silver swivelled around in his chair, growing increasingly bored by the minute. He had an idea of what he wanted to do with this place, but he wasn’t quite certain where to start. Garry, the supervisor of the floor (what were they, high school students?) didn’t like people loitering around — said it caused a decline in productivity. Thing was, what Silver had in mind would actually boost productivity, but to do that he would need to talk to other people. Not be confined to his spot for hours on end.

So Silver was just sitting in his cubicle, mucking around till an opportunity presented itself. Finally, Garry was called away for a phone call and Silver took the chance. He got up and darted down a couple of spots to where Farjad was sitting. The man was actually working away for whatever reason, going over various figures and mumbling under his breath.

“Farjad, I need your help,” Silver said, leaning against the edge of the desk.

Farjad started, obviously having been deep in concentration. “Wh-what?”

“I need your help with something,” Silver repeated.

Farjad frowned, glancing around. When he saw that Garry wasn’t present, he relaxed a bit, but the wariness was still there. That was something that needed to change. Garry was no imposing figure, there was no way the other employees should be scared of him. In fact, there was no need for a damn supervisor at all!

“Do you need help analyzing the securities in the mutual funds or are you working with bonds? I forget,” Farjad said.

“No, nothing like that,” Silver said. “I need you to tell me the ins and out of this place.”

“What?”

“I need to know who is good at what, who needs help where, when the upperlings normally call down for the lowerlings. Do the different branches like advertising/marketing and human resources mingle with us? I need to know it all.”

Farjad stared at him in disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”

“Of course I am.”

Farjad sighed, leaning forward. “First, look around,” he said, gesturing to the various cubicles. Silver took a look and looked back, raising an eyebrow. Farjad rolled his eyes. “I hardly even know what I’m good at, let alone anyone else, and I doubt others will be of any more help either. Second, even if I did know anything, why on earth would I tell you?”

Silver sighed, looked like he was going to have to put on more of his charm. “Look, do you like working here?”

Farjad narrowed his eyes, and Silver cursed internally. Wrong thing to say. “Okay, don’t answer that. I’m not trying to get you fired or anything. In fact, the opposite. I want to make your work here better for you.”

Farjad snorted. “Look, you’re new, I get it. You want to impress the big guys upstairs, climb the ranks. Make it big. Well kid, I’m sorry to say, but that’s not going to happen.”

“No listen,” Silver protested, “If Mr. Barlow-”

Farjad laughed out loud. “Mr. Barlow? Jesus kid, that man may own this damn corporation, but he sure ain’t the on running the game so to speak.”

Silver frowned, this was news to him.

“Barlow hasn’t exactly been around,” Farjad continued, “at least not for the last couple of years. No one knows what he does, but one thing’s for certain, he doesn’t give a shit about us.”

Silver felt that odd twinge in his gut again, telling him that perhaps this was all just one big joke. Thing was, if Silver wanted to keep his sanity, he couldn’t think of that now. He had to continue with his plan.

“Okay fine, let’s leave the big guys out of this,” Silver said, “but don’t you get tired of this? Constantly working down here with no reward?”

“Well yeah, but there isn’t anything we can do about it.”

“What if there was?”

“Then I’d say you were on crack.”

Silver blew out a breath in exasperation. “Come on man… look, I for one know that my weakest point is working with leases, but I also know I’m great at choosing the right businesses to invest in, call it a talent of sorts. Point is, I would rather spend all my time in analyzing the markets and choosing the right strategies, but I have to spend half of my time working on the joys of helping others with their financial leases. I bet you there are at least three or four people in this office who are fantastic at that but can’t for the life of them pick the right deals. See where I’m going with this?”

Farjad stared long and hard at Silver. “So you want to get people to play to their strengths?”

“Exactly!”

“But people get bonus for the amount of deals they land. You can’t take that away from them.”

  
Silver shook his head. “See, that’s where I plan to shake things up. It all gets shared, a collective pool to say the least. The other parts of our job may not generate as much money, but they are still important, so of course they shall be added to the mix. Every bonus gets pooled together and everyone gets an equal share depending on how hard they work. Those who have the easier jobs will also be given additional tasks.”

“Like what?”

“Oh I don’t know, organizing team bonding activities, potlucks, outings, games. That sort of thing — to keep people entertained.”

“There is no way in hell that you’ll be able to pull that off.”

“Not without help, yes,” Silver said, “but if I can convince a bunch of people, I believe we can pull this off.”

“You’re crazy.”

“I’ll respectfully disagree with you. So, you in?”

“With Garry at my back every minute of the day? Hell no.”

Silver shook his head, “I’ll deal with Garry. Once he’s not an issue, how does this sound?”

Farjad looked over at his screen, numbers upon numbers filling up the area, enough to give any sane person a headache. “Deal with Garry and then we’ll talk.”

Silver smiled widely. “That’s my man,” he said, clapping him on the back while getting up to go back to his cubicle. Farjad looked like he had regretted saying anything, but Silver knew he had him. After all, relief from boredom was a strong motivator.

Feeling content with himself, Silver returned back to his desk. There he noticed he got a new email. Upon opening it up, Silver felt his mood dampen —his apartment was livable to return to. He stared at the email long and hard, trying to figure out what to do. He knew he was supposed to return there, that was the deal — live with Flint just till everything was sorted out, but… he didn’t want to leave. He loved being able to always have food, he loved having a comfy bed to sleep in and clean clothes to change into. He loved not having to think over every little purchase, trying to figure out whether or not he could afford it.

The things he loved the most, though, were the nights spent talking to Flint. He knew he shouldn’t, but well he couldn’t help himself. Flint was just so goddamn interesting and for being a snobby rich person, he really wasn’t all that snobby. It was also incredibly satisfying seeing Flint get all riled up, it was just too easy!

He closed the email, he would deal with that later. He would stay one more week, that’s all. One more week.

+

James headed out to the streets of London. Going to each vacancy and testing out the waters. Most places he dismissed before he even entered the place, either being too close to busy streets, too big, or too small. He was looking for the perfect place and he would not stop till he found it. If need be he would buy a whole building to get what he wanted. He was a billionaire after all, what was the point of having all that money if he wasn’t going to spend it?

The first few times he went out on his own and found nothing. Every place just wasn’t right. Finally, James had to admit defeat and call in a retail agent. He distrusted the whole industry, knowing they targeted places that offered the agents the biggest cut of the deal and didn’t always show everything there was to offer. James could afford the best of the best so it really shouldn’t matter, but still, he was wary.

Silver would have laughed at him if he ever mentioned his fears. A multi-billionaire worried about being cheated over by a lowly retail agent? Ridiculous. Still, you could never be too careful.  
In the end he booked a couple of consultations in over the next couple of weeks. Hopefully one would turn out well. With that done, he left his home office and joined Silver in the living room. To his surprise Silver had set up a game of chess.

He looked up when James had entered and flashed him a bright smile. “Thought we could try something different tonight.”

James quirked an eyebrow, but sat down across from Silver nonetheless. “Didn’t know you played.”

“Oh, I haven’t played in years, no time you see… and no one really to play with either.”

Silver’s voice had gone down at the end, like he hadn’t really wanted to admit it. James decided to not comment on it, but he stored that away in the back of his mind for later. Silver never said anything about this past life, which was probably just as sacred as his other one. Any little tidbit was both a blessing and a clue, James would take all he could get.

“Well, I must warn you. I’m fantastic at the game so be prepared to get your ass kicked,” James said.

“Don’t be so certain,” Silver replied, bright smile once again on his face. He chose to be white, so he went first, pushing a pawn up two spots.

It had been awhile since James had played as well, also not having anyone to play with, so he it took a couple of minutes to get his mind back in gaming mode. Thankfully, it seemed Silver was in the same boat, but just as James was getting his bearings, so was Silver, so it was pretty evenly matched all the way.

“How was work?” James asked innocently, moving a bishop to captures one of Silver’s pawns.

Silver scowled. “Boring as fuck. I’m holding a grudge against you, nothing ever happens.”

“Why are you holding a grudge against me? I haven’t done anything.”

“Work your way up, make connections, get people to trust you,” Silver mimicked, “sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me.”

James snorted. “You can’t really have expected things to take off right away? Nothing is ever that simple.”

“Nothing is ever that simple,” mocked Silver, “you certainly made it sound that way.”

“Not my fault you drank the kool-aid.”

Silver gasped. “So this _is_ all was just a big scheme to get me to work for your company!”

James rolled his eyes. “Yes, I made up the whole corruption scheme just because I want some university dweeb to work in a low-level position. Because that position is _soo_ important.”

Silver let out a huff, moving his rook up three spaces. He didn’t seem to be paying much attention to the game anymore. Neither was James for that matter. “Well there doesn’t seem to be anything fishy going on.”

“That’s because you are talking to the wrong people.”

“Well I can’t very well talk to upperlings now can I?”

“Upperlings?”

Silver let out a laugh. “What we call the people who work on the upper floors, those who are higher than us, you know? We are the lowerlings, they are the upperlings.”

James would never understand people sometimes. “So why can’t you talk to these… upperlings?”

“Because I can’t get up there. I don’t have a pass.”

Oh… right. James quickly got up and went to his office, grabbing a building pass. He had forgotten about that. “Here,” he said when he returned, throwing the pass on Silver’s lap. Silver picked it up and inspected it like he had never seen such a thing before. “It’s just a building pass, can get you to all the floors now.”

Silver looked up, a wild gleam in his eye. “So I can use this to get to your office.”

That brought up some interesting images to James’ mind — ones that he quickly pushed away. Now was not the time for his libido to run wild.

“Well, yes, that was sort of implied.”

“Nice!”

“Now wait a second, you can’t just go frolicking up there whenever you please,” James said. It would be far too tempting to have Silver up there, lounging around his office acting like the shit he was. It was hard work running a business, James couldn’t afford to get distracted. “You have a position to maintain and I don’t want to hear word about wanting to fire you for not doing your job or other shit like that.”

Silver sighed but nodded his head, still staring at the pass like it was the key to all of his problems. “Can I also use this to go down to the parking lot?”

James frowned. “Yes… why?”

“So I can now go to work with you instead of taking transit!”

“What? No!”

“Please!” Silver pleaded. He went down on his knees and scooted over to James, chin going on James’ knee, eyes fluttering up at James. God, the pictures that flashed through James’ mind. He had to diffuse the situation.

“Fine fine. Though warning you, I sometimes work quite late, if you want a ride home, you’ll have to wait.”

“Okay!” Silver said, hoping back up to his seat, he then leaned over and moved his queen, “check mate!”

James stared in confusion at the board, not at all sure how that had happened. “You can’t do that!”

“What?”

“A queen can’t hop over a pawn!”

“I don’t see why not,” Silver replied with fake innocence, “knights can hop over other pieces and Queens are more powerful than knights so they should be able to do the same.”

“That isn’t how the game works.”

Silver pouted. “Please!”

James had to close his eyes. How was it possible that the loves of his life were both massive cheaters when it came to board games? It just wasn’t fair. “Fine.” He gave in far too easily, but then again, he had never been strong in the first place.

Silver whooped, hands pumping in the air. James couldn’t help the fond smile that graced his features as he watched Silver celebrate his false victory. He desperately hoped that there were more times like this in their futures.


	16. New Variables

It was easy really, getting Garry to go with his plans. All he had to do was do some underground research and find info on the man that was perfect for blackmail. Of course, blackmailing someone tended to led to them resenting you, so Silver made sure to give the man a few extra benefits to turning a blind eye. In the end it worked out quite great.

Once Garry was on board, everything just sort of fell into place. A couple of people rebelled at first, which was to be expected — believing they were good at certain aspects of their jobs, when really they were not — but those wrinkles were quickly smoothed out and things were definitely livening up in the lowerling base.

And this was all done without anyone from the upper floors being any the wiser.

The benefit of all of this was that now Silver had time to explore other sections of the building and other departments. The floor above where Silver worked was the marketing department, and was technically within Silver’s allowed range so he didn’t even have to use his pass to get up there. That was where he found two important personas.

Two women — Cindy and Indu — were the two Silver pinpointed that were important to get to know. They were graphic designers who were close friends and had all the gossip of the place that was important. Silver had stumbled across them as he had slowly begun to branch out and get the feel for the place once his work in his department was starting to run smoothly.

He found that the situation in the other departments was much the same as his own, but instead of jumping right in he decided to take things slow, use the opportunity to garner information. He started making connections and integrating himself into the workplace culture. Mostly he was a listening ear. In a place where people were tended to be pushed aside and undervalued, most were eager to have someone who was willing to give them any attention at all. That was where the secrets came out, and Silver eagerly ate them up. Most of the time it was just frustrations about their home life and job or boring gossip about their co-workers, but Cindy and Indu actually had some gold.

It took Silver awhile to get close to them, they were wary of him at first. He hardly blamed them, there was a bunch of misogynistic assholes around the place, but he quickly assured them of his interests so to speak. Then they loved him.

Every morning Silver would walk in to the building and head over to where Cindy and Indu were chatting away. Without breaking off, they opened up and let him join in the conversation. Today it seemed the gossip was of a romantic sort.

"Andrew allegedly has a girlfriend now."

"No!!"

"Came from the Philippines, adorable little thing."

"Aww, that’s so cute! Are there any pictures yet?"

"Not that I've found so far, but I'm still working on it."

"Well hopefully Willow doesn't find out."

"Willow? Why would he care?" Silver inquired. Willow was his main starting point, there was something off about the man. Any news he could find on him, he jumped on it. So far he hadn’t heard anything, nor had he seen the giant buffoon for that matter — he had a big office on the upper floors and didn’t associate with lowerlings as they were called. It was why he hanged out with Cindy and Indu, they were the only ones who actually seemed to get information on the upperlings.

"Oh he's just a racist asshole and will bully the fuck out of Andrew for going after a non-white girl."

Silver shook his head. Disgusting.

"Silver! Get to work," the head man from the department barked. He was only so tolerant to Silver’s presence in his marketing team. Soon Silver would have to deal with that, but for now he played it safe.

Saying his goodbyes to the ladies he went back to his desk and analyzed the stock market for a couple of minutes, but he was too antsy today. The motivation wasn’t there.

Perhaps now was the time for Silver to actually use his pass.

So far he, surprisingly, hadn’t been using it. First to not draw attention to himself — he was still new, so people payed attention when he was gone. Second because he actually had to be there to lay out the groundwork for his plan on changing the business strategy. He was surprised by how smoothly it went, but that just went to show how little the upperlings cared about what the lowerlings did. The other big reason he didn’t go up there was because he couldn’t think of a good excuse, which was pretty lame, but true. He couldn’t very well say he was off to see Flint — that would just draw unwanted attention to himself. Besides, they were living with each other after all, they could always talk about business back at Flint’s place. Not that they had been doing a lot of that. They would talk, oh how they would talk, getting into long discussions about philosophy or theatre, or anything else of interest. But business? Nah, that wasn’t interesting.

Now though, he needed a break and it was about time he expanded his horizons, so using his special pass him he headed up the elevator to Flint's office.

In a case of bad luck, the elevator's doors opened up a level before Flint's, the reason for needing an excuse ringing clear in his mind. He was just going to have to improvise. Before the guy getting in could identify him, Silver slipped out and walked down the hall, acting like he belonged there.

Damn, that was close. He had to figure out a way to get up to Flint's office without the chance of running into people. He would talk to Flint about it later.

Voices that filtered out across the hallway stopped Silver cold. Quickly, he ducked into an empty room and crouched down by the door. Perhaps this was finally the key to all of this. He should have gone up and explored the upper floors sooner. Hadn’t wanted to get caught though.

"He's going to want the figures by Friday."

"I'm going to need more time."

"I've already given you more time. They are getting impatient."

"It's not my fault, Barlow's being really diligent recently with checks. It's like he's on to something."

"That's impossible. There should be no hints, nothing on record. It's budget time right now. He's just making sure that all the finances are flowing right. He won't notice a thing."

"Why can't you-"

"You know why. Now get to it." Footsteps separated and left silence in its wake. Silver remained in the empty room for awhile going over what he had just heard.

+

James walked into his office and stopped short.

"Miranda. What are you doing here?"

"Is that how you greet your mother?"

James raised an eyebrow, but strode forward to give his foster-mother a hug. "How are you?"

"I'm fine thank you. More importantly though, how are you?"

James frowned. "I'm fine. Why?"

Miranda gave him a look. "Every week without fail since you moved out you have phoned me and caught up. I look forward to those phone calls. They remind me that you are still my son no matter how high you've risen."

James felt a stirring of guilt in his stomach.

"One week without a phone call, I understand. You were busy, had a lot of meetings, it was financial year end so you had a lot to take care of. A whole month without contact though? Something must be up."

"You could have just called."

"But what better excuse could a mother have to make a surprise visit?"

James chuckled. "I have no idea. I must apologize, however, for my negligence. I should have called."

"Oh it's no big deal. I know countless of mothers whose children don't even send a card on their birthday."

"You know I would never..."

"I know, I just want to know if you are alright."

James smiled. "I'm fine Miranda. I've just been busy."

Miranda assessed him sceptically. "You sure?"

James felt a bit uncomfortable, Miranda could always see right through him, which could get frustrating at times. Especially when he wanted to hide something, like now.

Just then the door burst open and Silver ran in. "You won't believe what I just heard... well _hello_ there."

Silver did such a one-sixty that it even dizzied James a bit. Silver went from wide-eyed and mischievous to… overly joyful and mischievous. With a bright smile Silver held out his hand to Miranda. James felt a headache coming along. "My name is John Silver."

"John Silver eh?" Miranda said with a smirk, "Miranda Barlow."

Silver's eyes widened. "So you're Flint's mother! I've heard nothing but good things about you."

James gritted his teeth. What was this little shit doing?

"Oh really?" Miranda said giving James a side look. James had a bad feeling about this.

"Yes! At dinner the other night Flint was saying-”

“Silver,” James warned. Silver immediately shut up, attempting to look mollified. James knew it was just a look nothing more. “Whatever you came here to discuss with me can wait. Go back to work.”

Silver looked between Miranda and James a couple of times before nodding his head and quickly exiting the room. James let out a breath then turned and went back to sit at his desk.

“As I was saying, I’m terribly sorry for not having called-”

“He eats dinner with you?”

James closed his eyes. This was definitely not a conversation he wanted to be having right now. “His apartment had to be evacuated. He is just staying at my place until it is habitual again.”

Miranda thought things over before looking up knowingly. “It wouldn’t happen to be that apartment by the fish shop you used to like going to when you were little would it?”

This was why he didn’t want her to know about Silver. She was far too perceptive about things. “Why?”

“Oh, just that, if it was that apartment, it started taking back its tenants over three weeks ago.”

“Then it must not be that apartment.”

Miranda sighed. “You never were good at lying to me James… You were also never one for charity either. What makes him so special?”

“Nothing.”

“Come now James. Though you are a good person, I have never once known you to just help someone without a reason behind it. What is the reason.”

James looked away. The reason was far too complex and unbelievable for him to even begin to explain. Just saying that he felt charitable, however, would not fly. He again cursed Silver for entering without notice.

“You know,” Miranda continued, “you’ve never showed interest in anyone.”

James froze. 

“When you were growing up I kept waiting for you to bring a girl home. Someone nice that you had decided to date. When you never did I assumed that perhaps you liked men instead and were hiding that from me in shame. When I explained that I would love you no matter what, you just gave me this little smirk and said, ‘I know, thank you,’ but you never showed any interest in a man either. I then came to the conclusion that you weren’t interested in anyone, which was totally fine with me, and I have believed that ever since. Today I’m thinking I may be wrong.”

James clenched his jaw. “I’m not sleeping with Silver.”

Miranda assessed him. “You want to though.”

James looked away. Oh how it hurt to be seen so clearly. God’s above, yes, he did want Silver. Wanted him more than was rational. He still remembered how Silver’s body felt under him, perfect and willing. He wanted that again.

He couldn’t ever have that again.

“It doesn’t matter what I want. We have come to an agreement and there is nothing going on between us nor will there ever be.”

Miranda frowned. “Why on earth would you make such an arrangement?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Miranda leaned forward. “But it does. I don’t see why two men, who obviously want each other, would not even consider giving such a thing a chance.”

“Miranda.”

Miranda closed her eyes and leaned back. “You’re right. It is not my place. You can continue this madness for as long as you can. I don’t know the whole side to the story, so I’m obviously missing things.” She got up, straightening her jacket. Despite her actions James knew there was no way she was backing off — it wasn’t in her nature — so she was up to something. “I will be coming around for dinner. I look forward to having a conversation with this Silver fellow. He seems like a nice young man.”

James groaned, yep there it was. And to think, this was just what he needed — two masterminds plotting together at his dinner table. This was going to be fun.


	17. Warnings Amidst Good Food

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter choppy and all over the place but I've been staring at it for over a week so I just decided to put it up :/  
> Also sorry for the wait! ... I truly am horrible with updating aren't I? And I can't promise you it'll get better either with the way my life is going right now, so sorry in advance :(((

Silver stayed at his desk for the rest of the day pretending to work. What he was really doing was trying to make sense of the two events that had taken place in the space of half an hour.

First it was the people with their secret conversation which Silver was not supposed to have heard. Silver was not certain of the identities of the people having never heard their voices before, but he was certain that if he heard their voices again he would be able to pinpoint them. Then there was the intriguing factor of Miranda Barlow.

If Silver's sources were right, then she was Flint's mother and now that was an interesting path to delve into. They didn't look related, so the stories about how Flint was adopted must be true.

Silver just wished he had more time to chat with this Barlow woman, it could have given him some insight as to who Flint really was behind all his layers. Figure out if there was a key to get through to the man. Actually gain some ground so to speak.

The problem with Silver and Flint’s whole arrangement of Flint not taking advantage of him, was that well… Silver kind of now wanted Flint to take advantage of him. He wanted Flint to throw him against the wall and kiss him like he was drowning and Silver’s kisses were the only thing that would save him. He wanted Flint to drive him mad with need, to run his hands all over his body. Tear him apart and put him back to together piece by piece. He wanted him like he had never wanted anyone before, but there was nothing he could really do about it. It was driving him mad. Why had he set the ground rules so that they weren’t going to sleep together? Silver couldn’t remember.

What was worse, Silver couldn’t remember the last time he had been this long without sex. Now Silver knew that he was a good looking bloke, and if he put effort into it, he could head down to a gay bar and easily pick up another male. Or even take a gander through one of the various apps that were available, his work phone certainly had that capability… though he preferred the older method. Made things more interesting, more real. Thing was, he didn’t have the drive to do so. The problem was that Silver didn’t want just anybody, he wanted Flint. That was why it was so frustrating— he couldn’t have him.

They were living under the same roof for God’s sake! It was torture!

The only saving grace was that Flint didn’t seem to be getting any either. He never brought anyone home and he never went out. Every night Silver and Flint would be in each other’s presence. Sometimes they would talk, either about the corruption in the business and where Silver was at with that, or sometimes it was just indiscriminate things. They had a surprisingly lot of common interests and could sit and talk for hours about the randomness of topics. Sometimes they didn’t even talk. They would just sit in the sitting room and read their respective books until one of them called it a night, the other following soon after. It was disgustingly domestic and perfect in every way. The only problem was that there was no sex.

Silver would have almost believed that Flint had no sex drive at all if it wasn’t for the lingering looks that Flint gave him when he thought he wasn’t looking. Silver knew what those looks meant. Had seen them on many a man and woman throughout his lifetime, so he knew Flint was interested. He just never acted on it, and that was a problem. One that Silver had to fix. If he could just talk to Miranda, he might be able to find the cog that made Flint tick.

Closing up for the day Silver slipped down to the private garage where Flint's car was parked. He slid inside and waited for Flint to come down. Sometimes it would only be a few minutes’ wait, other times it would be a couple of hours. There were good and bad sides to being in the boss’s pocket. Hoping that it would only be a few minutes’ wait, Silver took out a book that he kept in the car and read to pass the time.

Half an hour later, Flint opened the door and got in. He didn’t say anything, but that was usual. Still, Silver felt a bit wary. Flint had not seemed at all amused with him barging in on him and Miranda.

As the car started moving, Flint unexpectedly broke the silence. “Miranda will be coming over for dinner. Do not bring up the subject of the corruption around her, I don’t want her getting worried.”

Fair enough, that wasn’t something one would usually want to discuss with their parents. Guess he would save what he had learned for later. “Okay, lips are sealed.”

Flint nodded his head, but made no further move to continue the conversation. Silver knew Flint well enough now to know when he was too strung up to make conversation. Now was one of those times.

As they arrived back at the house, a thought came to Silver. “Where did Miranda go?”

“She had some errands to run.”

“Ahh,” said Silver, “well then, who’s making dinner?”

Flint shot him a look before walking down the hall shaking his head and muttering about little shits. Silver couldn’t help the big shit-eating grin that spread across his face. Sometimes it was too easy.

+

Miranda strode into the house, all grace and pride. Forever getting more beautiful with age. It was forever a regret of James that she had not been able to see out the proper duration of her life in Nassau. Then again, he regretted a lot of things and now was not the time to think of such thoughts. James quickly took her coat and bustled himself off to the kitchen knowing there was no stopping her going after Silver, even if he wished he could. James knew this was going to be a long night.

“John Silver, can I call you John?” Miranda asked, walking over to him and linking arms. Silver looked like he was loving the attention, all bright grins and fluttering eyelashes. James felt a bit peeved.

“Of course!”

The fuck? Silver hated being called John, how was it fair that Miranda was allowed to? James longed to be able to call Silver John, let the name fall lovingly from his lips as he peppered kisses down his back, as he ran his fingers through his curls, as he thrust into…

He had dinner to get back to.

He quickly headed off to the kitchen, eyeing the pot roast that was cooking in the oven. Thankfully he was in a position where he could overhear Miranda and Silver’s conversation. Perhaps he was in the wrong, but James couldn’t bring himself to care.

“How has James been treating you? Not too horribly now has he? I’ll make sure to beat him up if that’s the case.” James shook his head, of course Miranda would go straight for the kill. It was him that needed protecting, not Silver.

Silver laughed breathily, James could just picture it — eyes alight with glee, bright teeth etched wide in a smile. “Oh, he has his grumpy days, let me tell you, but… for the most part he’s been good.”

James stomach did a little flip. He couldn’t see Silver, but from his tone, it sounded like he had been speaking the truth. Did Silver really think that?

“Excellent! I must say I was quite surprised when James told me he took in a roommate, never would have expected him to do so. He does like his alone time.” James really wished Miranda would stop talking, but he couldn’t bring himself to go into the sitting room to stop them. After all, Miranda and Silver had never really had a chance to interact with each other in Nassau. They deserved to do so now, and James had a funny feeling that they would get along splendidly. James had wished time and time again that she had been there to offer him advice and counsel while James had been sorting through his emotions on whether what he felt for Silver was allowed or not. Now she could give him similar advice, which James would surely need.

“Really?” Silver said, “I guess he does need his quiet periods, but once he gets going, he can talk for hours.”

Was that fondness James was hearing in Silver’s voice? He must be hearing things. The oven beeped, giving James a distraction. He shouldn’t have been listening in on their conversation anyway.

+

Miranda was something else, that was for sure. Though on the outside she seemed bright and welcoming, Silver knew that inside there was a calculating mind taking in every little detail. This was not someone you messed with.

At first, the conversation was light hearted, Miranda joking about James and making sure Silver was being treated fairly. Silver answered as truthfully as he could, knowing that a woman like her would be quick to spot a lie.

Then the conversation shifted and Silver had to admit, he wasn’t surprised by the turn of events.

“James is very dear to me, you must understand,” Miranda said glancing over to the direction of the kitchen where Flint was.

“Of course, he is your only son, is he not?” Silver replied.

Miranda smiled faintly, as if Silver had said something to amuse her, though what, Silver was not sure. “Yes. I adopted him when he was a small boy. Parents had died in a car accident.”

Silver had not heard that before and a sense of kinship washed over him. “Oh?”

“He doesn’t remember them, but life never was easy for James. I think mostly it was the pressure he put on himself. He always did have a darker sense of reality.”

Silver only nodded his head, not certain what sort of response Miranda was expecting.

Miranda suddenly regarded at him with a contemplative look. “Such an odd surname, Silver. Can’t say I’ve heard of it before.”

Silver shifted uncomfortably, it was never fun when inquiries about his past were brought up. “I… uh picked it out myself.”

Miranda raised an eyebrow. “Bad relations with the family?”

“Something like that,” Silver said. It wasn’t really a lie, though most would see it that way, but not in Silver’s eyes. He had been abandoned after all.

“Do you understand what it is like to need to protect someone? To need to keep someone safe from harms way, to make sure that others do not hurt them?” Miranda suddenly asked.

Silver knew this was some sort of test — one he doubted he was going to pass. “I can’t say I do.” After all, how can he protect someone else when he needed to look after himself.

Miranda nodded her head, contemplating his words. “Then you probably won’t understand how serious I am when I say if you dare hurt James in any way I will make sure your life becomes a living hell.”

Silver gulped. There was no trace of warmth or amusement in Miranda’s eyes, and though terrified, Silver could not help but admire her strength and resolve.

“I think I have an idea,” Silver replied.

Miranda smirked. “No, I don’t think you do.”

It was Silver’s turn to raise an eyebrow, prompting Miranda to continue.

“You can only perceive the threat, the danger that can come with harming James. What you fail to understand is  _ why  _ I will retaliate. Why I will protect him.”

“And why do you need to protect him?”

“See? The fact you need to ask shows you do not understand. I do hope that one day you will find someone who you will want to protect at all costs. Who you cannot bear to see harmed and will do anything,  _ anything  _ to protect them. For then you will truly understand what love and sacrifice is.”

That sounded absolutely horrible to Silver and not something he hoped to ever fall into. With his preservation skills, he figured he would be okay, though he did wonder why Miranda would want him to experience such a thing. He doubted most people in this god awful world felt such a way for someone else.

Miranda leaned forward and patted Silver on the knee. “You are still young and with the world ahead of you for your taking. I do not mean to scare you off, I just want to warn you to be careful with James. This is the first time I have seen him take a real interest in someone. I’ll understand if you find that he isn’t the right person for you, but do refrain from inflicting lasting damage if you break it off.”

Silver opened and closed his mouth, gobsmacked. That was not what he had been expecting at all. “You… but I… Flint… me… we’re not…”

Miranda chuckled, but before she could reply, Flint called them into the kitchen for dinner. Miranda quickly got up and left the room, but not before sending a wink Silver’s way.

Silver stayed where he was for a couple of moments, trying to process what had just taken place. Well, if there was one thing Silver had gotten right, it was that Miranda was truly a woman to be reckoned with.

+

Miranda came into the kitchen first and stared down at the table, unimpressed.

“I never understood why you always insisted on eating in the kitchen,” Miranda said, “it is so much nicer to eat in a dining room.”

James shook his head. It was an old argument and one they would never see eye to eye on. For him, the dining room was too formal, and the last thing he wanted was formality between the two most important people in his life.

“Kitchens are homier,” Silver said coming into the kitchen, surprising both Miranda and James. Noticing that they both were looking at him, Silver looked down at the table, clearly uncomfortable. “What? It’s just always nicer to eat in a kitchen.”

James felt like there was a backstory to that and he so wished he could hear more to it, but he doubted he ever would. James was infinitely grateful that Silver and him had so far eaten all of their meals in the kitchen.

“I guess you are right in a way,” Miranda acquiesced, sitting down, “now James, what have you made for us today?”

James quickly spread out the food evenly and everyone dug in. James mostly remained silent, watching Miranda and Silver interact. It seemed they got along quite well. There were times where they seemed to stumble over each other or hit a nerve, but that was to be expected when getting to know a person for the first time. Besides, their personalities were quite different — there was bound to be some clashes. James knew, however, that if they got closer and talked more, that friendship could become something that would become pert near unbreakable. Much stronger than any quick spark that could have arisen. James desperately hoped that would happen.

“… And then James was covered, absolutely covered in mud. What a right mess he was!”

James tuned back into the conversation and was not pleased with where it was at. Miranda was obviously telling the tale of when James had insisted on going fishing for fairies — he had been five for god’s sake, give him a break — and had accidentally fallen into a ditch.

“The poor fairies!” Silver exclaimed, eyes alight with mirth, “they must have been terrified.”

James scowled. “Oh sure, make fun of the cook.”

Miranda laughed, leaning over to pat James’ hand. “Oh darling, you were adorable with your red hair and freckled cheeks. I wished I had a camera with me at the time. They would have made wonderful pictures.”

James couldn’t see how this was not still making fun of him, but he then looked over at Silver. Silver was staring at him, but there was something in his eyes. It was almost like he was mesmerized with him, but there was also longing there as well. Perhaps James was just seeing things, but perhaps not. Perhaps there was hope after all.

+

As dinner drew to a close, Miranda became sure of two things. One the two idiots were hopelessly besotted with one another, and two, neither were going to do anything about it. They had been practically making puppy eyes at each other the entire night, though when the other wasn’t looking of course. Absolutely ridiculous.

From Miranda’s assessment, John Silver was a good fit for James — he was funny, charming, smart, quick on his feet, and knew how to push James’ buttons. He was a breath of fresh air, something James desperately needed in his life.

The only problem was that Miranda doubted that Silver was, what you would call, lasting material. He did not seem like the type of person to stick around one place for very long. That made obvious by the fact that the young man revealed practically nothing personal about himself throughout the night. His stories he wove were generally of other people’s experiences, and when he did talk about himself, it was always to do with recent events, like his life had only really started since running into James.

Now neither James nor Silver had been forthcoming with how they met, something which annoyed Miranda to no end, but she decided that for tonight she wouldn’t pry. She would make no such promises for her next phone call with James though, there was a limit to her patience after all. Either way, it must have been interesting circumstances to say the least.

Anyways, the lack of information Silver let on did not sit right with Miranda, and it was why she made sure to make it known that if Silver hurt James, she would make sure Silver’s wounds were just as gapping. Perhaps she had gone overboard, but she was fiercely protective of James and proud of it, and though heartbreak was a fact of life, she believed that this Silver person could do much more damage than simple heartbreak. She had already decided to do a background check on him to see what she could find. She never did say she was a saint after all.

Still, despite her worries, she did hope that the two idiots would get together. She had never seen James so relaxed, and dare she say, happy. They could be good for each other if they sorted through their mess, and she did want someone in James’ life. Despite him saying otherwise, Miranda knew that he was lonely, and it hurt her heart.

So, Miranda didn’t voice her worries to James, knowing that he would just run away from Silver if she so much as hinted at disapproval. Instead she attempted to push the stubborn man into action, though knowing James, nothing would come out of it. Either way only time would tell how the pieces would fall into play. She could only hope that this time, they would fall in James’ favour.

+

After dinner, Miranda declared that she had to get going. She insisted, however, that Silver exchange contact information with her, which Silver quickly agreed to. As the night had worn on James could see the friendship growing nicely, it warmed his heart.

Miranda was just as scandalized as James was when she saw Silver’s phone. “What are you paying him James? This just won’t do!”

Silver laughed, shaking his head. “Oh, I have no use for such things. I’m fine with just texting and calling. Besides, I do have my work phone, which is the most recent design.”

Miranda, however, was having none of it and was shooting James a look. James knew he was going to be in trouble, but really it wasn’t fair. Technically, Silver was his roommate, not his boyfriend or any other such thing. He wasn’t obligated to buy him a phone… just you know, food, clothes, shelter, job security and all that fun stuff.

Silver slid off, leaving Miranda and James a couple of moments alone.

“I like him. He’s had a tough life, rough around the edges, but he’s turned out alright. Good choice.”

“ _ Miranda!”  _ James hissed, “there is nothing going on.”

Miranda rolled her eyes. “One day you will learn to actually listen to what you are projecting to the rest of the world. I hope that day is soon. My assessment from this morning still stands — you both are attracted to each other, unbearably so, and I would sincerely suggest you do something about it.”

James shook his head; Miranda just wouldn’t understand.

Miranda sighed, putting on her coat. “I know you won’t listen to me, but I urge you to at least consider it. You deserve to be happy.”

And wasn’t that just the crutch of it? Happiness. Was that really possible? James didn’t know, some days it seemed possible, but others? Other days sucked.

Miranda leaned forward and kissed James on the cheek. “Take care my dear. And call!”

James nodded his head. He would make sure to not make the same mistake again. With a final hug, Miranda left, leaving a silence in the house. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, but a silence nonetheless.


	18. Realtors and Realizations

James’ first meeting with a realtor was a disaster. The man was a fucking slimy bastard who only saw the dollar signs that James would bring to him. The first couple of buildings that he showed James were not even close to the aesthetic that he wanted. They were all seven digit apartments or flats that were of no use for what James had in mind. He fired the man quickly with no intention of paying him. He did not have time for such bullshit.

He looked at the next realtor on the list — Jericho Rolick, might as well give him a try. Not that James had much hope on that matter. He would probably be the same as the first.

He set up an appointment at a nearby café so that they would be in neutral territory. It had probably been a mistake to have had the first meeting at his office. Let the man have ideas. Also, what if Silver had found out? He would surely ask questions and James wasn’t ready to provide answers yet. Thankfully, Silver hadn’t dropped by, but James didn’t want to test his luck.

He sat down at the café and waited. It was a bit loud with the espresso machine running constantly and the continuous ringing of the bell as people kept entering and leaving the place, but there was not much he could do about it. It just further enforced his need to find the perfect place for what he had in mind.

Five minutes later Jack Rackham of all people sat down across from James. “Jericho Rolick,” he said, holding out his hand.

James stared between the hand and Jack’s face, totally thrown out of loop. The fuck?

This had to be some sort of mistake. Jack Rackham of all people would never change his name. like never. He was  _ Jack Rackham.  _ It was possible that he was born with the name Jericho Rolick, but in all of James’ lifetimes, none of them had ever had a different name than the one in Nassau. Something was very wrong here.

Jack’s grand smile turned to one of confusion and he awkwardly retracted his hand. “You are James Flint right? I assumed so due to the suit and the red folder, which were my cues. If not, I’m terribly sorry for the interruption, but before I go I would just like to take the opportunity to give you my business card,” Jack said, handing over a card. Sure enough, the name Jericho Rolick was written there along with his face right beside it. “Just in case you ever need help finding a home or place to start your business.”

“You’re not Jericho Rolick,” James blurted out.

Jack shifted uncomfortably. “I can assure you I am. Says so right on the card.”

James was not buying it. He would get to the bottom of this. “Jack Rackham.”

To James utmost surprise, though in hindsight perhaps it wasn’t so surprising, Jack suddenly beamed and leaned closer to James. “You’ve heard of me?” he asked, excitement clear in his voice. He looked like a child on Christmas morning.

Now, James was stuck. No, he hadn’t heard of Jack in this life, but what was he supposed to say now? That he knew him in a past one? That wasn’t going to fly. Bullshitting it was then.

“How could I not?”

It was apparently the right thing to say since Jack’s grin stretched wide across his face. “Indeed! Knew my gossip blog was taking off! Excellent! Don’t you worry, though, I am still a registered realtor. Have to do something in the meantime before the money rolls in. Needed to change my name due to some unfortunate past mistakes but this is only temporary. Soon Jack Rackham will be a known name throughout the world.”

Still the same power hungry, egotistical man then. Guess some things never changed.

This did, however, make things easier for James. That was one less person James now needed to find from Nassau. James was now on a mission to bring together all of the people who meant anything to James and Silver back in their past life in one place. James didn’t know why, but he had a funny feeling that everyone had been reincarnated in this life. It had come to him after taking Silver to see Dr. Howell.

James had run into Dr. Howell when James was still in his depressed period. Dr. Howell was, at the time, doing drugs and in a bad place. Together they fought their demons and came out on top — James had a trusted doctor that he could always go to, and Dr. Howell had a trusted financial advisor.

Seeing Silver and Dr. Howell interact had brought a funny feeling to James’ mind. How could it be that Miranda, Dr. Howell, and Silver were all here in this moment? Maybe they had been there in previous lives as well, and he had just never encountered them. Or maybe this was supposed to be his last life, so the upper powers were finally providing James with a gift. A gift that James would have to work hard for to obtain of course, but if it all fell together, would be worth far more than all the riches in the world. Now, James just had to work on bringing everyone together… and making Silver fall in love with him.

Right now, finding lost Nassau people seemed like a more feasible cause than getting together with Silver, so that is what James set his mind to. Besides, if this worked out, then it could be a strong case to show Silver how much he cared for him. How much he loved him. Hopefully after that, those feelings would start to be returned.

He would worry about all that later, right now, he needed Jack to help find him the right building.

+

Silver went up to the upper floors to scout around. At this point all of the supervising managers and all of his co-workers loved him. What could he say? He’s a hard person not to like… and he had made everyone’s work life a lot more livable. 

None of them would mind the slightest if he was gone an extra hour or so. He always got his work done — better than most — and half the time he helped others as well. It was all about gaining favours. Besides, most of them thought he was visiting Cindy and Indu for gossip. Normally, that would be what Silver would be doing, but right now he had some sleuthing to do.

For the most part, people paid him no mind. Too busy rushing from place to place to give notice to another worker in a suit. As Silver walked the hallways, he noticed that it was mostly just offices with workers inside. Not a very viable environment to do some poking around in, and there were video cameras all over the place. Silver wouldn’t find anything of interest here.

He turned around to head back down when a man stopped him. “Who the hell are you?”

Silver swore internally. He had not thought this through properly. Putting on a bright, fake smile, he responded cheerfully, “oh, Mr. Willow just wanted me to drop off some figures.”

“Mr. Willow is out of town.”

Fuck. “Yes, I know. He just told me to put them in his to do pile for when he got back. They weren’t urgent.”

The man sneered down at him. “Fine, but now get lost lowerling. You’re bringing this place down.”

When Silver was in charge of this place that man would not last a day. There was nothing he could do about it now, however, so instead, he flashed another bright smile and nodded his head, hurrying back to the elevator.

Well, that had been a failed gig. From what he learned, he was going to have to gain information another way, and that way would involve attracting the attention from the upperlings instead of just spying on them. Looks like he was going to have to put in a lot of work.

Instead of going back to his little cubicle, however, he went up to Flint’s office. He needed something to brighten up his mood, and annoying Flint was the best way to do that. Maybe he could also convince Flint in the process to get rid of that horrid man.

Silver was met with crushing disappointment upon arrival at the office. He wasn’t there!

Silver felt irrationally hurt. He knew he was being petty, but why hadn’t James told him where he was going? There were no meetings today, so where could he have gone?

Mood now fully down the drain, Silver went down to his cubicle and heartlessly did a couple of financial maneuvers. He would get to work on impressing people tomorrow. For now, he just wanted to wallow in distress.

When he went down to the car, it left as soon as he got in. That was disheartening. Worse — Flint wasn’t even home when Silver got there. Thoughts about where Flint could be haunted Silver — was he out with another guy? Did he decide to take a trip without telling Silver? He knew he was being irrational, but they had gotten into a pattern, and Silver felt he deserved the right to know why it was now broken. Hell, he hadn’t even texted or called! Was he that insignificant to Flint? 

Worst of all, he realized how dependent he had become of Flint, something that he had promised himself never to do. He relied on no one, but look at him now, relying on a man for fucking everything. Hell, he didn’t even know what to do for dinner! A stirring of panic started awakening in his gut and Silver realized that he was getting in too deep. He needed to detach himself. 

So, after having some measly toast, he crawled into bed, knowing that he was going to have to make some changes.

…

_ “There is one vote that I’m having trouble with, perhaps you can help me with it.” _

_ “Who’s that?” Flint asks. _

_ Silver knows he won’t like the answer, but he says it anyway, “mine.” _

_ Sure enough the glare sent Silver’s way is terrifying. He pressed forward, regardless. “I made myself very clear from the beginning. My priority was the gold…” _

_ “I can assure you, the gold is still a priority.” _

_ Silver feels like he is being slapped in the face. And here he thought they were working together. It was all lies it seems, all lies. Forcing a fake smile on his face, he assures Flint that everything will be all right, that he is convinced. Inside, though, he is angry, furious even. He has been used. Used, with the purpose of being thrown away, like he is nothing, and fuck, does that enrage him. Worst of all, however, is that inside… inside it feels like his heart is breaking in two. _

_ + _

As the day, then subsequently the evening, then the night, wore on, James remembered why he had always limited his contact with Jack Rackham back in Nassau. The man just wouldn’t shut up!

Jack had at first wanted to go over all of the tiny little details, saying it was very important for him to figure out before he started looking. Then he had the nerve to ask  _ why  _ he wanted these things. Just find the goddamn right place, James thought. It doesn’t matter why.

In between all of this, Jack would go on and on about the gossip about this neighbourhood or that, and how he had influenced certain happenings in this place or was the cause of that. For fuck’s sake. He did not have time for this.

As the hours wore on, James was on the verge of strangling the other man. He was missing dinner with Silver! What would he eat? What would he even think, not telling him where he was? No matter how many times James tried to bring an end to the conversation, Jack wouldn’t let go. It was fucking 9pm now and it felt like they hadn’t gotten anywhere.

“Can we just finish this another day?”

Jack’s face fell slightly, before quickly putting back on a smile. “Of course, of course! It’s getting late, I understand. How about… next Wednesday? Would that work for you. In the meantime, I will check out some spots and rally up a bunch of suggestions. Sound good to you?”

James nodded his head, already halfway out of the door. “My secretary will give you a call,” he called back before he left.

Once out in the night air, James thought back to Jack’s expression. He was lonely, that much was obvious. Wasn’t hard to figure out why, most people wouldn’t want to hang out with an annoying git like him. On the other hand, it reminded James why he was doing this. Okay, he was lying, he was basically only doing this for Silver. However, James was starting to realize that he could be doing more good than just giving Silver a family. He would be giving the others a family as well, reconnect them all and let them have a good life together. A happy one.

It was what they deserved after all… right?


	19. Astray Promotions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey... I'm back! And to pardon my absence, I've put up 4 chapters :) Hopefully that makes up for a bit of the wait...

Things in the workplace were going quite well. Everyone seemed to now be fully on board with Silver’s strategy, and so he decided to add on little things here and there. He set up betting pools, complaint jars, and compliment notes. The biggest thing was setting up discussion circles every Tuesday and Friday so that people could go over what needed to be done and what was getting done as well as problems that people had and where they needed help. It wasn’t about working alone anymore; it was about working together to get the job done. People loved him.

Silver was surprised at first that the upperlings allowed them to get away with all of this, but he then realized that nobody above gave a damn. They didn’t come downstairs to see what they were doing — as long as someone came up when they called to do photocopies, then they were perfectly fine with ignoring them.

They also had the marketing team join in on some of their pools which was a lot of fun since it set up big competitions between the two. Instead of having money up for grabs, however, Silver ensured that it was just favours being delved out. Money was too much of a touchy subject to be let loose for Silver’s liking and enemies can easily be created by having someone win too much from another. Favours were easier to handle. Needing to deal with money everyday of their damn lives, the others were only too happy to agree. They weren’t corrupt and greedy by those up above just yet.

While they were all having fun, Silver was also making leaps and gains in his own work, making risky maneuvers that more often than not paid off and securing deals that were deemed hard to get. He would surely be attracting the attention from those above soon.

It was a relaxing Friday and Silver was sitting back, enjoying watching the group get into a discussion about office supplies, normally a depressing topic, but now people were starting to get inventive so it was a lively conversation to say the least. Cindy and Indu had come down and were sitting beside him, watching the whole process in awe. When they had come down for the first time, the others had stared in wonder. They had heard about the powerhouse duo in the marketing team and never imagined they would grace them with their presence, even if they could have easily gone up to the marketing floor themselves. For some people, branching out was not in their nature.

Cindy and Indu basked in the attention, but remained secretive and alluring to keep that aura around them; Silver was amused by the whole thing.

“I’m really impressed by what you did here,” Cindy said, watching it all. “This place used to be so depressing to go to, no gossip at all to speak of.”

Silver smirked, you could always find gossip, you just had to know where to look. “And that’s coming from you two?”

Indu tutted. “Oh please, we had our sources, but most of the stuff was bland, nothing of interest.”

As Silver surveyed the scene, he couldn’t help but have a thought come to him, “Do you think now the upperlings will start noticing?”

“What, this?” Indu asked.

“Yeah.”

Cindy shook her head. “Keep dreaming buddy. They don’t give a damn about you guys, haven’t for awhile now.”

“Did they used to?” Silver asked, from her tone it seemed like there was more to her story than she let on.

Cindy sighed. “You probably don’t notice, but Barlow, the man who runs this company? He hasn’t really been around and doing much as of late.”

“Yeah,” added Indu, “For last couple of years, he has totally withdrawn from it all. Even the upperlings hardly see him.”

Silver frowned, trying to sort through what he was hearing. This was the second time he had heard that Flint had been mysteriously absent, but he couldn’t wrap his head around why that would be. He knew that Flint liked to stay up in his office doing who knows hell what, but to say that he was detached from his company? That couldn’t be right. After all, he had come down during that day when all the students had visited… but wasn’t his primary motive to bring Silver to the hospital? And he never seemed to talk to anyone in the company besides Silver either. He also didn’t really like discussing business matters, preferring to say they could talk about it later and switching the subject. Silver never really minded because more often than not the subject change suited Silver’s interests, but now that he thought about it, it was curious indeed.

“Did he used to care?”

“Yeah, this place used to be pretty lively when this business first started out. There was actual hope in people that they were going to rise up. Now? Not so much,” Cindy said.

That brought down Silver’s hopes to rise up in the ranks, but he didn’t know what else he could do. He would stick with this for now, but in a couple of months if things weren’t working out, he will have to go at it on a different angle.

“No matter what they say about Barlow, things were better when he was involved. Now things are a mess. Have to say, you coming in has certainly made things look up though. Perhaps you are just the saviour this business needed,” Indu said.

Silver couldn’t help but preen a bit at that. He liked that idea, of being the saviour. Now that was something Silver could get behind.

+

James was kind of reluctant to go see what Jack had picked out. Mostly because he wasn’t too keen on spending another couple of hours with the man. He did really want to find the right place, though, so he sucked it up and went to visit him.

Jack greeted him with a wide smile. “You will love this place, let me tell you.”

James wasn’t so sure, but he got in the taxi with Jack nonetheless and they headed off. Instead of heading downtown or to a rich neighbourhood like James would expect them to go, the taxi seemed to be heading to the outskirts of London. Past the busy streets and heavy residential area and into a quiet neighbourhood. One where it was almost peaceful. James was certainly interested now.

Jack had kept up a steady stream of idle chatter throughout the ride, which James paid no attention to, but when he suddenly stopped talking, looking out the window, James turned to him in confusion, wondering what the break was for. Jack seemed to be intensely concentrating on streets. Counting them down or something of the sort.

“Stop!” Jack said suddenly, and the taxi driver hurriedly pulled over.

“Come on, let’s get out.”

Now, James was incredibly confused, but decided to pander to Jack’s whims and got out of the car. Once the cab had driven off, Jack turned to James with a gleam in his eye. “If you want to keep your place hidden from prying eyes, don’t have taxis get a definitive idea of the whereabouts of your place.”

“What?”

Jack shook his head. “You want to start up a business, but the first thing you wanted was privacy. Now what kind of business wants that? Now, first thing that comes to mind is that it ain’t strictly legal,” Jack said. James opened his mouth to protest, but Jack beat him to it. “Don’t worry, I know you aren’t the type. Can tell just by looking at you.”

James didn’t know whether that was a good thing or not. He did carry around a gun after all.

“So where does that leave us? Naturally, the next choice is that for whatever reason, the main objective of this business has nothing to do with making money. Am I wrong?”

James rolled his eyes, though really, Jack had hit it right on the mark… not that he was going to give him the satisfaction. “Think what you wish. Where are you taking me?” He didn’t fancy walking far, that was what taxis were for.

Jack chuckled. “It’s just around the corner.”

More like two blocks away, but whatever, Jack was never good at estimating. The building, though, the building was… perfect.

It was this old, worn down, falling apart piece of shit that looked like no one had been inside it for years. Paint was peeling off the walls, the windows were all boarded up, and there was sure to be mountains of dust inside. James was in love already.

Jack went up to the door and opened it, holding it open so James could enter. Sure enough, dust and cobwebs covered the place. There looked to be places where leaks had sprung judging by the water damage, and some floorboards were loose.

“Electricity doesn’t work and I think the pipes will be broken as well, so it’ll take quite a bit of work.”

“I’ll take it.”

Jack let out a surprised huff. “Well then. That was fast. I did have a couple of other options for you that you can take a look at.”

James didn’t want other options, he wanted this place. It was away from traffic and the busy shopping areas. Few people would know where it was and… “Is there a back yard?”

“Yep!” Jack said, eager to be a good host.

Sure enough the place had a sizable back area that was overgrown with weeds and some garbage that had floated in. James could already see his plan coming to life.

He signed the papers that day.

+

“John, Mr. Willow wishes to speak to you,” Farjad called out. Silver sent him a smile and got up, acting like nothing was wrong. In reality, though, his heart was beating a touch too fast in his chest. He had expected to be called in at some point soon, but still it was actually happening. Now was the time to shine.

He went up eight floors to where Willow’s office was and waited out in the lobby with his secretary. The lady was clearly unimpressed with everything around her and had no interest in Silver. Silver tapped his foot in impatience as he waited for the go ahead to enter. The bastard made him wait fifteen fucking minutes before opening the door.

“Silver! Come in, come in. How are you?” Willow asked with a bright, sickly smile on his face.

Silver gave one in return and reached out to shake the offered hand. “I’m doing quite well, thanks. And yourself?”

“Oh just fine thank you.” Willow retorted, closing the door behind them and going around to sit behind his desk. “Have a seat.”

Silver sat down in one of the chairs on the other side. Willow’s office, was for lack of better words, impressive. A lot of thought and money had gone into the design. While Flint’s was minimalistic — nothing of sentimental value or expressive flare at all in the place — Willow’s was full of exotic art and expensive ornaments. Silver didn’t like it.

“Now, you are probably wondering why I called you in here.”

Silver nodded his head. “It had crossed my mind.”

Willow smiled and crossed his hands in front of him on the desk, leaning forward. “Don’t worry. You aren’t in trouble, in fact far from it!”

Silver gave a fake chuckle. “Oh good!”

“Got you worried for a second there didn’t I?” Willow said with a wink.

“Sure did,” Silver said, forcing a smile.

“No, I called you in here for an opportunity. One I think you would be very good at.”

Silver straightened up. Finally, things were starting to get interesting.

“I have been reviewing your work you have done so far in these past three months that you have been working with us, and I must say I am impressed. I don’t recall anyone ever having such an eye for getting the better deal so to speak. I must say, you would make a great sophisticated investor.”

Silver felt a tinge of annoyance creep up in him. The last thing in the world he wanted to be was a sophisticated investor. While he was good at calculating risks and choosing which investments to go after, he had no desire to start investing in something that had no backing and was more likely to fail than not. He was an opportunistic, but only when he could see the actual value in doing so. There was no value in going after something that could inevitably end up losing him millions.

Still though, he put on a smile, while raising his eyebrows. “Oh really?”

“Yes, you could go places with your money sense. However, that is not what I wanted to talk to you about. The opportunity I’m talking about deals with a bigger picture.”

Silver’s smile turned a bit more real.

“I just want to get an idea first on how committed you are to this company.” Willow said.

Silver paused. It was here that he would have to tread very carefully. “I have just started here. I am forever grateful for Walrus Corp. for giving me this opportunity, but my future, I hope, is not set in stone, and if a more… prosperous opportunity comes along, then I will take it.”

Willow smirked, but quickly covered it up and nodded his head thoughtfully. “Yes, of course. Understandable, you are young and smart. The world is your oyster. There are probably many opportunities out there for you to discover.”

Silver nodded. “Thank you for understanding. I’m not sure many higher up partners of this company would have liked to hear that.”

Willow shook his head. “Oh, of course I understand! You need not worry about me. I appreciate your honesty, in fact I’m grateful for it.”

Silver tilted his head. “Oh?”

“Yes. You see, I’m sure Walrus Corp. would hate to lose such a young talented upstart like yourself, and now that we know that you are not afraid to take risks, and get ahead of the game, then we can help you with that.”

“How so?”

“You have already shown higher competence than half of those other investors working down there.” Willow said, “And I’m sure that the longer you play the game, the more adept you will become at understanding all the little tricks that makes the market work.”

Silver nodded his head and smiled, though inside he was rolling his eyes. He had been studying the market for  _ years.  _ Ever since he had learned that such a thing as the stock market existed he had been fascinated by it. Someone could get rich extremely fast by just investing in a couple of well placed companies, and it took minimal effort. It was a goldmine waiting to be taken. He also knew that the tricks that happened in the stock market were, more often than not, due to people cheating the system. There were no patterns in the stock market. That was for sure.

“I hope you can see where I am going with this,” Willow said.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not quite sure I follow,” Silver replied truthfully.

“Why, I want to promote you of course!” Willow said, with a big smile.

Silver stared at him baffled. That had not been what he had expected. This was what he had been leading up to, but not this way. Not so soon, and definitely not by Willow’s hand. “You want to… promote me?”

“Yes! You see, I don’t want other companies getting word of your amazing talents and trying to steal you from us. They would surely offer you a much higher salary than what we are paying you now, and no one would blame you for jumping ship.”

Silver nodded, starting to understand where this was going. “And if you promote me, that will give me less reason to leave.”

Willow smiled. “Exactly.”

It would also, theoretically, make him more loyal to Willow.

“What position would you promote me to though? I can’t see many people being particularly happy with someone so young as I being promoted so soon.”

Willow shook his head. “Oh don’t act so naïve. You are loved by all those people down there. They listen to you and treat you as their friend. They will surely have no problems having you rise up above them. Especially considering your work — you have done better than everyone else these past three months. As for your position, well, I was of the mind that you would be my assistant as well as one of the financial supervisors for the position you are in now.”

Silver felt a bit queasy at the realization that Willow had been watching him, or had someone watching him. Especially since Cindy and Indu had been so certain that none of the upperlings cared about them. There was no other way that Willow could have noticed how Silver got together the workers and quickly become an integral member of that group. As for the position, well it made sense in a way, but Silver still had his doubts.

“Who would I be replacing?”

“Oh, Markus has gotten a position at another bank. You’ll be replacing him. Being a financial supervisor is pretty easy and you’ll be shadowing me, so you’ll be learning all the ropes.”

Silver nodded his head. “I see.”

“So, how does that sound? Oh, right! Forgot about pay. You, of course, will be receiving a pay boost, as well as more shareholder rights. Sounds great, right?”

Silver nodded his head. “Yes… though I would like some time to think this over. It is a lot to take in.”

“Of course, of course. Take all the time you need,” Willow said with a smile, “how about you tell me tomorrow, that sound alright to you?”

How does tomorrow equate to all the time he needed? With the way Willow was staring at him, however, Silver felt it best if he just went along with it, so he nodded his head in agreement.

“Perfect! Well, I really do hope you take this offer. I think this will be good for all parties involved, and when does that ever happen?” he joked.

“Yep. A true winner,” Silver said, getting up. He needed some air. Giving the man a final shake of his hand, he hurried out of the office, then the building.

Taking a couple of deep breaths, he tried to go over what had just happened. He had been certain that Willow was one of the people involved in the corrupt business going on, but now he wasn’t so sure. Why would he want Silver even more invested in the company? Unless he planned on taking him down because he didn’t want him there, but there had to be easier ways to do so, especially since he was going to be his assistant. Wouldn’t he want Silver far away from any corrupt plans that he had? If he wasn’t part of the corruptness, then why was he so interested in Silver then? Did he really just want him to stick with the company? It made no sense.

Silver shook his head as he walked the streets aimlessly. The thoughts running around in his head were going a mile a minute. Things were getting too complicated.

He knew not how long he had been roaming the streets, but at a certain point he realized that it was getting dark and the chill had set in. Pulling out his phone, he winced when he realized he had thirteen missed calls and a couple of dozen text messages. All of them from Flint.

So now he payed attention to him. Flint had been curiously missing a lot these past couple of days, leaving Silver without the company. It hurt more than he liked to admit. Now, he was mother henning him, the annoying bastard. If he was allowed to leave without a word, then so was Silver. He smirked as he read the texts, each one getting more colourful as they went on.

_ I’m done. _

_ Silver where the fuck are you? _

_ Silver get down here now. _

_ You little fucker, if you think this is some fucking joke it is not funny. Get the fuck down here now! _

It got steadily worse after that.

When he looked up, however, Silver realized that he had no idea where he was…  _ shit! _ This was not good. Not good at all. Even if he had intentionally ignored Flint, which he hadn’t, he couldn’t do so now. He had no idea how to get home and no method of doing so either. Reluctantly, he called Flint, knowing he was going to get a verbal lashing.

“Where the fuck are you?”

“Well, hello to you too. How are you today, I just wanted to call to sa-”

“Don’t fucking start,” Flint growled.

God the man was a prick! “Alright, alright. I’m sorry. I just needed to clear my head. Willow just offered me a promotion and it took me off guard.”

There was a pause on the line, then, “ _ WHAT?” _

“Yeah, weird right. Wants me to be his right-hand man or something like that.”

“But you’re my right-hand man,” Flint blurted out.

Silver paused at that. It almost seemed like Flint was jealous, which was just the weirdest concept out there. “Well… technically I’m not. I’m just some random low level financial advisor who lives with you. I would say I would have your favour if I was sleeping with you… but I’m not.”

He left the conversation open for Flint to take, all he had to do was…

“Why did he offer you a promotion?”

Or not. Silver felt a twinge of disappointment, but quickly pushed it to the side. “He said some bullshit about wanting to keep me in the company or whatever. I couldn’t really tell his motives.”

“Are you going to take it?”

“Do you want me to?” Silver inquired. He was quite curious as to what Flint’s answer was going to be.

“I don’t care. Do whatever the fuck you want,” Flint responded, voice going cold. Silver swallowed tightly and nodded his head, though Flint couldn’t see the action.

“Yes. I’m taking it.”

“Okay then.”

“Okay.”

There was an awkward pause. Silver almost wanted to take back his statement, but he couldn’t back out now. Not in this game, especially with Flint. Besides, this could potentially be the key to unlock the case. It was smart of Silver to take the position. Besides, he could do with the extra money, especially considering that Silver needed to get into a position where he wasn’t so reliant on Flint.

Of course, right now? Silver kind of still needed Flint.

“Could you get your driver to come pick me up?” Silver asked hesitantly. At this point he could totally see Flint refuse, forcing him to walk home.

“Where are you?”

Silver breathed a small sigh of relief and looked around. “Umm no idea?”

Flint let out a loud annoyed breath. “What street are you on,” he spat out.

Silver rolled his eyes. “I’m not on a street you prick. I’m not as big of an idiot as you seem to think I am.”

Flint snorted like he found that hard to believe. “Then where the fuck are you?”

“I don’t know, I’m surrounded by trees.”

Silver could practically hear the eyes roll in Flint’s head. “Then tell me the fucking park you are at.”

“I don’t know!”

“How the fuck do you not know?”

“I wasn’t exactly paying attention to where I was going.” Silver said, attempting to defend himself. He knew it was only making him look worse.

As suspected a loud sigh was heard through the phone. “Well, use data to connect to your GPS. I’ll pay for your phone bill.”

Silver closed his eyes. “My phone doesn’t have GPS.”

“Then use your work phone.”

“I don’t have my work phone with me.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“Because it’s tracked! You’re the one who told me not to use it.”

“Yes, but you are supposed to keep it on you at all times. Company rules.”

“Oh fuck the company.”

“If you followed the rules you wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Silver hated it when Flint was sassy. It messed with his emotions. “Fine. Well, since you’re no help, I’m going to hang up now and find my own way out of here.”

“No you’re not,” Flint growled.

Silver paused. “Not going to do what?”

“Stop being cheeky. Don’t hang up.”

“Why not?”

There was a pause. “Just don’t.” Silver couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. He cared. In his own weird way, Flint cared about him and that, that was something Silver would hold on to.

“Okay fine. But you have to keep up the conversation. I need my brain power to figure how to get out of this place.”

“You’re the one who never shuts up,” Flint grumbled.

Silver chuckled, but he didn’t respond. He looked around at the forest area. There were no lights to help guide the way and it was quickly growing darker. Soon, he knew, he was going to be in big trouble.

“Did you know that half the time, guns in the 18 th century didn’t fire?”

Silver stared down at his phone, not sure if he had heard that correctly. “What?”

“Yeah. That’s part of the reason why, when two captains of pirate ships had a dispute, they solved it by guns then swords, because you know, most of the time the guns wouldn’t work.”

Silver looked around then back at his phone. “What the fuck are you on about?”

“Well, you said that I had to keep up the chatter, so that’s what I’m doing.”

“Right…. And so you decided that the best way to do that is by talking about… 18 th century guns.”

“Well… yeah.”

“Okay then,” Silver said. This was not what he was expecting. “Continue on then.”

Flint started talking away about the various weapons used back then and how to take care of them. Silver, for the life of him, did not know why Flint knew this stuff, but his voice was comforting. It made the shadows seem not so dark and the noises not so scary. After about fifteen minutes of walking he finally spotted a light and hurried towards it.

Exiting the trees, he realized he was on a highway of sorts. Though he had no idea where. “Umm Flint?” Silver interrupted. Not that he wanted to, but he kind of wanted to get home that night if possible.

“What is it? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Flint’s voice pitched up in worry and Silver couldn’t help but find that adorable.

“Relax, I’m fine. I’m just on a street now. More like a highway I think, though, pretty empty road for a highway actually.”

“Oh I know where you are.”

“Wait, you do?” Silver didn’t have a clue where he was, and he was pretty certain he had not done a good job explaining the place.

“Yeah. Don’t move. Will be there in five.”

Now Silver may not have the best sense of direction, but he knew that there was no way Flint could get from his house to where Silver was in five minutes.

“Sure you will. I’ll just sit tight I guess.”

Flint only grunted in response. Silver rolled his eyes, but decided to take his own advice and sit down. He had been walking for several hours at this point and was darn well tired, not to mention freezing. He pulled his light sweater around him in a futile attempt to retain what was left of his warmth.

To his utmost surprise, five minutes later Flint’s car pulled up. Silver quickly clambered inside, and there was Flint looking over him carefully. “Are you hurt?”

“No, just cold,” Silver replied truthfully, “how the fuck did you get here so fast? No wait, how the fuck did you even know to come here in the first place?”

Flint just grunted and threw a sweater at him. Silver gratefully took it and put it on. It was a bit big for him, instantly alerting him that it was Flint’s. He was grateful that he had the excuse to bury his nose in the material to mask his inhale of Flint’s scent. The first sweater Flint had given him had, sadly, now mostly lost its smell. This one though, this one was the perfect musky, sea water scent that was solely Flint’s, and Silver would be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t just the tiniest bit in love with it. Curling up in a little ball, he leaned back and buried himself in the aroma. Letting its comfort warm up his bones.

They didn’t talk throughout the car ride home, Silver supposed the phone call had taken a lot out of them. When the car arrived at the house, though, Flint muttered something along the lines of ‘don’t get lost again’ before disappearing into the house.

Silver felt like this was a missed opportunity, but for what, he could not tell.

…

_ Silver leans down and brushes his lips against the scar on Flint’s shoulder. “And this one? Where did this one come from?” It looks newer than the rest, but not so new that it came from the battle at the Maroon camp. _

_ “Oh, just the fight against Blackbeard,” Flint replies nonchalantly. _

_ “The what!?” Silver has not heard about this. Flint is obviously referring to the time when he had gotten Vane back and Silver stayed at the camp. He had been informed of no battle. _

_ Flint leans forward and kisses Silver gently on the lips, pushing gently in an attempt to get him to open up. Silver is having none of it though. He pulls back and stares Flint hard in the eye. “Why were you fighting Blackbeard?” _

_ Flint sighs and looks away. “It was for his crew. To help fight against Nassau.” _

_ “And you couldn’t have convinced him in any way?” Silver asks incredulously. Flint can convince a spoon that it is a fork, that is how persuasive he is. _

_ Flint chuckles and pushes a stray curl behind Silver’s ear. “You have too much faith in my ability to bend people to my will. Blackbeard and myself could never see eye to eye, there was no hope in me ever convincing him to join in a fight he wanted no part in.” _

_ “But he did end up fighting.” _

_ “Only because of Vane.” _

_ “Oh.” That brings the mood down. Flint smiles his crooked smile that doesn’t reach his eyes, and pulls Silver into a hug, clinging to him a little too tight for comfort. Silver clings right back, though, assuring himself that Flint is still alive, still here in his arms. His worst nightmare hasn’t come true, not yet anyways. _

_ Still though. Silver pulls back with a frown. “I had just brought you back from a suicide attempt and you go right back into another death mission as soon as my back was turned? What were you thinking?” _

_ Flint chuckles and leans over to kiss Silver again. This time Silver lets Flint take control and opens up under his insistent tongue. Letting Flint’s tongue curl around his own before pulling back and nibbling on his bottom lip. It is slow and relaxing and sends a soft tide of sensations running through him. _

_ After a while, Flint pulls back. “You worry too much about me.” _

_ Silver scowls. “Well someone has to. You certainly don’t.” _

_ Flint shrugs his shoulders. “Don’t. I’m not worth it.” _

_ Silver disagrees with that, and that is what scares him most of all. _


	20. Coming Together and Falling Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit of a mess structure wise :/

It seems that finding the others from Nassau is not as hard as James had first expected. In fact, they are practically falling into his lap. The first are Billy and Gates.

James had been looking up renovation companies and lo and behold, Gates and Bones was a company that specialized in just what James needed. All it took was a quick call and he had them coming over to his new little building.

Jack was there as well — James had reluctantly invited him to be a part of the process, and Jack had eagerly agreed. James really needed to find Anne Bonny and Charles Vane before the man drove him up the wall, but he would work on that later. For now, he had to focus his attention on the meeting with his old… friends?

Gates and Billy entered the building, looking just like James had remembered them. Gates with a round belly and an aura of wisdom surrounding him and Billy, who was too tall for his own good and with muscles over every portion of his body. Gates let out a loud whistle, looking around. “Well ain’t this a piece of work.”

James rolled his eyes, already feeling a fondness growing inside of him... along with a trace of guilt. He hadn’t seen the man since he had snapped his neck all those years ago. Thank god only James remembered anything. That would have been awkward if that wasn’t the case.

“James Flint,” he said, stepping forward with his hand out, “thank you for coming in.”

“My pleasure,” Gates said, shaking the offered hand, “so, what do you want done?”

“I want you to fix this place up, don’t care how much money it takes, just make sure it’ll last and in good condition.”

“What are you making it into?” Billy asked, looking around. James wasn’t quite sure what had happened to him after he had died, but it probably hadn’t been good. He was glad he had found Gates in this life. They were good for each other.

“A bookstore of sorts,” James replied.

“A bookstore? Here?” Gates asked.

“Those were my exact thoughts,” Jack inputted, “don’t know what he’s thinking. This place won’t do well on the business front, let me tell you.”

James sighed. “I’m well aware of your reservations, but nonetheless, I’m planning on building a bookstore. I’m paying for everything, so I don’t see what the problem is.”

“I guess rich people can waste their money as they so choose,” Jack muttered.

He was looking for Anne Bonnie next.

“Well it shouldn’t be a problem,” Gates said hurriedly, sensing the tension in the room, “I can start bringing in my men next week and getting to work.”

James nodded, “That would be great.”

Once contracts were signed, James quickly went home. There he made dinner, only to wait… and wait. Guess Silver wasn’t coming home that night. He slowly cleaned up and put Silver’s portion in the fridge. He stood there with the fridge open staring into its depths feeling lost. They had been constantly missing each other over the past week. Ever since James had picked Silver up from the park, they hadn’t really talked; Silver was busy with his new position, and James was busy setting up renovations at his new building. It wasn’t ideal at all, but there was nothing that James could think of that could improve the situation. Consequently, James couldn’t help but feel that his grasp on their relationship was slipping through his fingers. And they weren’t even together, how ironic was that?

That didn’t even to begin to cover the whole clothing problem. He was regretting every day his allowance for Silver to borrow his clothes. When he had said it, he had meant the clothes that James had bought specifically for Silver throughout the years. The ones that fit him perfectly. It was bad enough having to live with the man and not touch him — that was torture enough for any man. Now though, now, Silver had taken to wearing  _ James’  _ clothes.

It wasn’t just the sweater that James had given him that second night. James had actually never seen that sweater again and wasn’t sure exactly where it had gone. No, now Silver had taken to wear all sorts of James’ clothing. From sweaters, to dress shirts, to slacks, and even one time, socks. It was probably his fault, given that he had given Silver a second sweater of his the other night, but now this was getting out of hand.

It was the sight of Silver in the slightly too large clothing that made James’ heart flutter inappropriately and his libido run wild. All he wanted to do was push Silver against the wall and devour him.

Silver was off limits, though, and that was final. No matter how much he wished otherwise, or how often he dreamed of the other man, there would be no getting around it. He could not sleep with Silver.

That however did not stop his dreams.

…

_ Silver pulls James into a kiss. It is more like teeth clashing together, and noses bumping than an actual kiss, but it is still glorious nonetheless. It takes James utterly by surprise, but before he can respond Silver pulls back. _

_ His face is ashen white and his body is trembling. His eyes, though, his eyes are terrified. They stare at each other for several moments breathing heavily; James is trying to process what has just happened. From time to time, James will look Silver over and admit to himself that he wants him, though, he knew that it was only just a fool’s dream. It would never happen. This though, this is a whole new game. One that he is more than happy to play. _

_ “I…” Silver says, looking lost and frightened. _

_ James yanks him in for another kiss. After the initial surprise, Silver melts into it and starts kissing back. God, it has been so long since he has had this. Has someone who wants him and he wants them in return. _

_ James threads his hands through Silver’s hair like he has wanted to do on so many occasions. With deft fingers, he pulls off the hair tie, letting the strands run free through his hands. _

_ Silver moans into his mouth, a delicious sound that Flint is eager to hear again, and clutches onto his arms. The kiss is quickly becoming desperate and needy, he needs more. Swirling them around, he lifts Silver up onto the desk for better leverage. Silver’s legs open willingly and James steps in between them. _

_ James pauses for a moment, suddenly unsure, he pulls back for a bit and takes in the sight before him. Silver is flushed and panting, eyes more black than blue, but still so gorgeous. There is also an uncertainty there to them as well, but a determined gleam as well. “We are not stopping,” Silver growls, using his good leg to pull James closer again. That is all the invitation James needs. _

_ He leans back in for another hard, bruising kiss, while his hands start lifting the hem of Silver’s shirt, finally being able to feel the rough planes of his hard stomach and chest. His hands stop at Silver’s nipples, slowly starting to rub and tease them. _

_ Silver lets out a little whimper, shifting his hips and panting against James’ mouth. His own hands had also started mapping out James’ body, but they now still, squeezing harshly onto James’ biceps. James wants more, though, he wants so much more. Getting irritated, he pulls back and yanks off Silver’s shirt along with his own, quickly pressing themselves back together, finally getting skin on skin. _

_ James goes to Silver’s neck, starting to bite into the tender skin there, tasting the sweat and heat that is deliciously available for him. _

_ Silver curses, gently pulling James back. “As much as I would love to have you mark me all up, I would rather not have to come up with wild tales as to where the bite marks came from.” _

_ Silver does, unfortunately, have a point. Instead, he starts trickling open mouth kisses and teasing licks down Silver’s neck and chest. _

_ He keeps going until he is on his knees in front of Silver’s groin. He reaches out a hand, dancing his fingers over the bulge, looking up at Silver teasingly. Silver lets out a curse, hands running over James’ shaved head, trying but failing to find purchase. _

_ He looks so fucking beautiful, all lustful and wanton, curls a mess. James just wants to eat him out. With deft fingers he manages to free Silver’s cock, it is long and nicely girthed, sticking out proud and red. James leans in for an experimental lick, which makes Silver let out a bunch of inventive curses, doing his best to refrain from stuttering his hips. _

_ “Get on with it, you bastard!” _

_ James tsks, placing a delicate kiss on the inside of Silver’s thigh. “Patience is a virtue.” _

_ “Don’t you fucking start,” Silver growls, but it is a baseless threat and both of them know it. James smiles as he leans in again, this time engulfing the entirety of the length in his mouth… _

_ … _

BEEP BEEP BEEP

James woke with a start, cock rock hard, and libido through the roof. “FUCK!” he cursed, flopping back down on the bed, his dream had just been getting to the good part. He could still picture Silver sitting above him, looking like a perfect delicious picture, cock all hard and glorious, just waiting to be sucked. He glared over at his ringing phone that continued on making a ruckus. Reaching over he saw who it was — the bloody renovators — what they fuck were they doing calling this early?

Apparently, there was some confusion over what time they were supposed to be starting, the bastards. After curtly sorting that out, he flopped back down, reaching over to grab his cock, but found that he was no longer in the mood. At least with his dream, he actually had Silver with him. He couldn’t quite recall if this dream had actually happened in Nassau, or was just a fabricated part of his reality. One he desperately wished to be true. Either way, it had been cut short and James’ morning felt ruined.

Sighing, he got up and went to the kitchen, Silver was already up and not in a good mood. He hadn’t been in good spirits lately and James felt horrible. It was partly his fault for always being out late going over renovations for the building, so they hadn’t had much time to spend together. How was it possible to be doing something for Silver, but during the process end up hurting him as well?

Wordlessly he poured himself a cup of coffee and started making pancakes. Silver didn’t even greet him good morning. He didn’t say anything either.

+

Silver thinks he hates Flint. There is no way a man like him should be allowed to mess with his emotions in such a way. At first Silver thought that he had liked him, was attracted to him, but now he wasn’t so sure. He was never around anymore, out late and hardly ever making dinner now. They hadn’t had a good talk in  _ weeks.  _ It was the gaping silence that hurt the most. The never-ending void where two people were just… tolerating the other’s presence.

They had gone from two people who could talk for hours about nothing, to two strangers living with each other. Silver almost wished he had moved back to his apartment. He couldn’t now, it was given to someone else, but if it had been available he would have been tempted.

The worst part was that his body was now firmly against him. Especially after that dream where he and Flint had been… together, and they had been  _ happy.  _ It was like everything Silver didn’t know that he wanted, but now that he got a taste, he couldn’t help but want for more. He wanted to wake up in James’ arms, wanted to give him chaste kisses, wanted those chaste kisses to turn into something more.

In the present, that was obviously not a possibility and it hurt more than Silver could comprehend. That added to the fact that his new position was getting him nowhere. He hated it. It was basically the same, just at a different office and Willow hadn’t taught him anything new yet. It was maddening. He also didn’t have as much opportunity now to talk with any of his old co-workers anymore, which had been the highlights of his work days. Now he was by himself; now he was alone.


	21. Guilty Conscience

Silver was angrily throwing a bouncy ball against the wall. It was such a fucking waste of time. If Willow had not wanted him to leave this company, he sure as hell was going about this all wrong. This was a fucking joke. At least below, he had people to talk to, here? Boring, deadening silence.

Worst still, he was always given a bunch of crap last minute so that he would have to stay late into the night working on it. Like what the fuck? He wasn’t paid enough for this shit. At least now Flint would get a taste of his own medicine… oh who was Silver kidding? Flint was probably not even noticing that Silver wasn’t coming home much anymore. He was probably off partying or whatever the hell he was doing. Fucking asshole.

The door burst opened without even a courtesy knock. Silver nearly fell out of his chair, quickly throwing the ball back into his desk. Willow was standing in front of his desk, smile wide enough to blind children. He should never be allowed near them. Silver was still constantly baffled that the man was even married. Who the fuck would want to marry such a prick?

“Silver! How are you doing, my boy?”

He was not his boy. Silver could only smile, however, forced to face the consequences that he had placed himself into. “Fine… is there something you need?”

“Yes! I would like to introduce you to some of my fellow co-workers. I think you will get along well with them.”

Somehow, Silver doubted that.

Willow led Silver down the hall and into a small meeting room where two other men were sitting, laughing over some stupid joke.

“Gentlemen, this is John Silver, the boy I was talking to you about. John, this is Felix Nestor and Paul Hoover.”

“Pleasure,” Silver said, though he felt anything but. He needed to figure out a way to stop them from saying his first name.

“You sure he’s up to the task?” Nestor asked, assessing Silver uncertainly. Silver immediately jumped to attention. This could be interesting.

“Oh, I’m positive,” Willow said, “he’ll be able to do the job just fine.”

“You sure?” Hoover said, “You know what happened with Lester.”

“This isn’t Lester,” Willow hissed. Silver put that away for later; be a good excuse to talk to Cindy and Indu about it.

“What job is this?” Silver asked, bringing the topic back to why he was actually here.

“Sit sit,” Willow said, jumping at the opening and pulling out a chair. Silver felt like he was being interrogated, but he sat down anyways.

Hoover looked between Willow and Nestor, seemingly looking for a cue. Nestor sighed and gave a shrug, which seemed to be all Hoover needed. “John, what we are going to tell you cannot leave this room.”

They certainly had his attention now.

“Except for Pratt,” Willow said.

Nestor rolled his eyes. “Yes except for Pratt, but that was obvious.”

“No, he hasn’t met the man yet.”

“Willow. Shut up.”

Seems like even amongst his own troupes, Willow was hardly tolerated. Some people were just like that, wonder how his wife could handle him.

“Anyways,” said Nestor, turning his attention back to Silver. “We are planning something. Something huge. Something that is going to make us richer than anyone would have thought possible.”

Silver raised an eyebrow, but otherwise said nothing. Sometimes it was better to let the other person speak, you could find out more that way. He was certainly intrigued, but also wary. Money, though great, came with consequences. Silver would not fall down that trap again.

“We have been planning it for awhile now and are currently in the final stages,” Hoover said, “but now comes the tricky part — which is why we need more people on board. More people with fresh, open minds, like yourself.”

Silver’s mind felt quite closed off at the moment.

“Yes!” said Willow, “we are going to take down James Barlow!”

“What?” Silver couldn’t help himself, it was almost reactionary.

“Not so fast Gerard,” Nestor said, “let’s start from the beginning, shall we?”

Silver nodded, feeling the urge to bolt right that minute, but this was what he had been looking for. This was everything he needed. He couldn’t run away now.

“You know E&G, right?”

Silver nodded. E&G were a competing banking company to Walrus Corp, though nowhere near the prestige that Walrus Corp had.

“Well, we work for them,” Willow said with glee, “you see, over the past year E&G has been placing moles, like us, into various big bank corporations around Britain. Together we are working to lend out risky loans through the banks we are placed at. Then, here’s the kicker, we are backing those loans through each other’s banks, so when the market falls, there will be no money since everyone is loaning or backing each other. All the banks will fall except for E&G, who is currently betting against the market and those risky loans, so that they will gain all the money when the others fall to their ruin. Everyone is going to get around 2%, which when all's said and done, will be quite a lot of money.”

Silver couldn’t believe what he was hearing

“Now you are probably wondering where the benefit for you is, right?”

Silver nodded tightly.

“Well, first, you’ll be secure with a job at E&G if you want to continue working once everything has been settled. Thing is, you’ll have gained so much money at that point, I doubt anyone would blame you for retiring early. Now who wouldn’t want that?”

“Willow…” Hoover said, “He’s not going to be working with E&G. I thought he was supposed to be…”

“Oh right!” Willow said, “well, he would still have a ton of money after that, but I doubt you would want to retire, not with the position you’ll be in.”

“And what’s that?” Silver asked, it was all terribly confusing.

“Oh, we’ll let Pratt tell you. He’ll be able to show you all the ropes.”

“I see,” said Silver, though he most certainly did not.

Sensing his wariness, Nestor leaned forward. “This company, Walrus Corp? It’s going down. We are already far too into this process for that to change. Walrus Corp is dead, its on its last legs. We are giving you this opportunity to join us and become one of the titans, or you can be left behind and drown with the rest.”

Silver felt his blood run cold. If what they were saying was true, then Flint was going to fall… and there was no way to stop it. The more Silver thought on it, the more Silver realized that there seemed to be less and less reason to actually confide in Flint. There was no chance of rising up the ranks in a company that didn’t even exist, and here was a golden opportunity, laid bare for him. Then a thought came to him.

“Morris was supposed to be your main guy, wasn’t he?”

“How did you know about that?” Hoover asked sharply.

“I ran into him at a clothing store just before I started, he seemed… upset to say the least.”

Nestor chuckled. “Ah yes, Morris was supposed to be our guy, but then Barlow had to stick his nose in didn’t he? That’s why it took us so long before we approached you, but Willow here has assured us that you are on our side.”

Silver had no idea where Willow had formed such an opinion. He hadn’t really done anything to show that he would be willing to betray the company. Then again, Willow wasn’t someone who seemed to have the smartest of wits out there. Good thing they trusted him.

“And if you even think of ratting on us, we’ll string you up to be a liar and a cheat. We have that power too,” Hoover added.

Silver felt like he was caught between a rock and a hard place. Not somewhere he usually liked to be.

“Is that what happened to Markus?”

Willow laughed. “No, he’s working with us. Just another bank needed one of us to go over there, that’s why we brought you along. Figured we could use someone with your smarts and wits to join us.”

Silver nodded his head. Then Nestor leaned in, going serious. “This whole operation does require absolute secrecy, however. We can’t have people finding out or there will be backlash, especially from the public. That won’t stop it, but E&G might fall as well and then none of us will get money and well, what is the point of all that?”

Silver nodded his head. “Won’t say a word.”

“Good lad!” said Willow, “knew we could count on you.”

“Does that mean you are in?” Nestor asked.

“Yes,” said Silver, for what else could he say? He couldn’t very well say no. Thing was, was he actually going to go through with this plan, or was he going to tell Flint? He didn’t know.

+

Turned out Anne Bonnie was in jail. She was in there for killing her husband who had abused her. She was being punished for a system that had failed her, funny how that all worked out. It was depressing really.

All it took was a quick visit to the corrections office and some pushing of money around and they agreed to let Anne off on parole.

She seemed very lost as she was let out of the building, her long red hair covering her face, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. James walked over, holding out his hand. She stared at it, making no move to take it.

“If you think I’m going with you, you can fucking piss off.”

Still the same Anne Bonnie. He wondered if she had survived the war. Probably not.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

“That’s what they all say. Bunch of cock shit right there.”

James knew he had to tread carefully here. “You may think that I bought you free passage because I want something from you. I don’t; I do, however, want to help you. To do so, I’m offering you a job.”

“I don’t want your stinking job.”

“Really? Where will you go? You don’t have a home, you don’t have money, you don’t have anything. I can at least give you a starting point.”

Anne paused at that, looking around. All of her worldly possessions were on her back. She didn’t even have a bag.

“What’s the job?”

“Helping with renovations.”

Anne stared up at him in disbelief. “I know nothing about renovations.”

“That’s alright. I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it.” James gestured to the cab, “you coming?”

Anne shuffled from foot to foot, weighing the options. Finally, she gave a quick jerk of her head and got in the cab.

“Any funny business and I’ll cut off your cock.”

“Duly noted.”

The car ride was awkward to say the least, but James didn’t expect any different. Anne was never one for chit-chat, he was just relieved that she had agreed to come along in the first place.

At the to be bookstore the workers were milling about, getting things done. James had been pleasantly surprised to find that most of the workers were old members of James’ crew — Joji, Logan, Muldoon, Degroot, and even Joshua. It felt like home in a way.

Also, turned out that Featherstone was working with Jack on real estate, and he ended up tagging alongside Jack whenever he came down to hang out. It was as if they were all drawn to be together in some way, which was what James had hoped would happen.

Gates came over to James and Anne, assessing her with a skeptical look. “She’s the one you were talking about?”

Anne bristled beside him, looking ready to flee. This wasn’t getting off to a good start. “Yes, she won’t cause any trouble, I promise. And if any of your men do anything, they’ll end up places much worse than where she was.”

Gates nodded his head, still eyeing her doubtfully. Gates and James had not hit it off as quick as they had back in Nassau. Probably due to the fact that James was not really providing Gates with an opportunity, but James hoped that in the end things would smooth out. Gates had been his closest friend for ten years, and he would like to have that again. As long as there was room for Silver that was.

Just then Jack came out the door. “What’s going on here?”

He swaggered over like he usually did, though today he was wearing these ridiculous sunglasses. Where he found the things, James would never know.

Anne was looking him over with her eyebrows raised. There was also a slight smirk on her lips — she obviously didn’t view him as a threat, which she shouldn’t, but it was a relief nonetheless.

“Look at all of you lazing about. Shame!” Jack said.

“Oh, like you are doing so much work,” James drawled.

Jack mocked gasped. “Look here, who was the one to find this magnificent abode?”

“Looks like a piece of shit,” said Anne, speaking for the first time.

Jack beamed. “Exactly!”

Anne gave a little smile in return, and just like that, it seemed like the world was straightening itself out. James couldn’t help but feel a bit smug about the whole thing.

Jack and Anne were just about to enter the building when James remembered something. “Anne, wait.”

Anne paused, body going back to its tense state.

“Did you ever hear of the name Charles Vane while in prison?”

Anne froze. “What the fuck do you want with him?” Her eyes were wary and she looked ready to bolt.

“Just reasons. You’re safe here, I won’t let him hurt you if that is what you are worried about.”

“There were whispers. Leader of one of the biggest gangs, he is. Don’t fucking mess with him.”

“Noted,” replied James. Looks like he had a gang to find.

+

_ “Guilt is natural, but it does go away… if you let it.” _

_ Silver is saying this to a blond woman. He does not know who she is, but for some reason she has an important decision to make. Something that will leave her feeling consumed with regret and shame. _

_ He is also chained to a sofa for some reason. What the hell is going on here? _

_ “Losing your life’s work, that doesn’t go away.” _

_ … _

Silver woke with a start, heart beating erratically in his chest. Again, he had been in this past time period. One where the sun was a bit too hot and the clothes a bit too uncomfortable for his liking. He could still feel the dirt and sweat linger on his skin, though he was clean.

He thought over the dream, trying to piece it together. Guilt. That struck a chord with him most definitely. While he wasn’t going to be ruining any life’s work — he hadn’t built enough to have a life’s work yet — he would be throwing away the opportunity to the start of what could be a glorious work of life. One where he would be respected, remembered, and most importantly, rich. The problem of course, being the guilt that would consume him if he went down that path.

He sat up and pushed some of his curls out of his face. In the end, though, the dream had given him the answer he needed. Guilt can go away. This opportunity, however, would never come his way again.


	22. Gangs & Politics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you missed it, I put up 4 chapters, so go back to ch. 19 if you're lost :P
> 
> TW: Suicide mention

He managed to find time to talk to Cindy and Indu a couple of days later. “Do you know who Lester was?”

They looked at each other with dark looks. “Lester was this kid Willow had hired… two years ago was it?” Cindy said, Indu nodded in confirmation.

“Yeah,” Indu continued, “two years ago. Willow worked that poor kid to the bone. The boy wasn’t very… strong let’s say, to start with.”

“Think he had a bunch of allergies, the poor thing. Anyways, you could tell the boy was not in a good place, getting stressed out and all that.”

“He was also having family problems too I think, so that wasn’t helping anything.”

“Anyways, he committed suicide, horrible really. Thing was, when Mr. Barlow heard about it, he blamed Willow, nearly had the man fired. Only Nestor and Pratt jumped in and pleaded for his case, got the rest of the upperlings on their side.”

“Fucking idiot should have been fired.”

“Anyways, that was when the clear divide between the lowerlings and the upperlings started and Mr. Barlow also started to disassociate himself from the company. Why we hardly ever see him around anymore.”

“And Willow just got off scott free?”

“Basically, he got demoted, but not by much, pay got cut as well. Pratt had too many good lawyers working for Willow to go up against him. Well, Mr. Barlow could have, but I don’t think he really cared all that much to put the effort in.”

“Anyways, Willow changed a bit from that case. Became sickly sweet instead of a straight up bully like he used to be, but still, one is just as worse as the other in my opinion. At least when he was a bully you knew to stay away from him. Now you don’t know whether to trust what comes out of his mouth.”

“And this is the man I’m working with,” Silver said in realization.

“Sorry,” Indu said with a grimace.

Silver sighed and went back upstairs. He had a funny feeling that kid who had committed suicide had been the trigger for all of these events happening. It would make sense, wouldn’t it? Those upper people being unhappy with how Flint took the lowerlings sides, Willow wanting revenge, this Pratt guy serving as support. And it all led to this huge mess that Silver felt he had no choice but to join. He really didn’t want to now, but he had his own future to look out for. Flint would probably be fine once his business crashed. Sure, his reputation would be in shambles, but Silver knew for a fact that he had a ton of money just sitting in a private bank. He would be fine financially.

Silver though, Silver would be screwed, with nowhere to go. He couldn’t handle that, not when there was a clear way out, so that was what Silver was going to take.

Silver was sitting in his office when a man came in without knocking.

“Julian Pratt” the man said in way of greeting, “heard you’re the new meat.”

Silver didn’t like him already.

Pratt came up behind Silver and patted him on the shoulder. “How’re you doing my man?” he asked, going around to the other side of the table and leering down brightly at him.

Silver repressed a shudder and put on a smile in return. “Great. How’s it going?”

Pratt leaned back and assessed Silver. “You know, when Willow told us he wanted to bring you on board, I must admit, I had my doubts.” Silver tilted his head, but otherwise made no further reaction. “Yeah, I was like ‘why would Willow bring on the same kid that Barlow specifically picked out? Makes no sense.’”

Silver nodded his head. “Trust me, I was even more surprised than you at being chosen.”

Pratt leaned forward. “But I can see it now. It all makes so much sense, though, doesn’t it? The perfect setting for the downfall of the great king. Have the very blood he chose be the one that stabs him in the back.”

Was the man trying to make Silver feel guilty? His stomach was growing tight and his palms were starting to sweat, but he couldn’t let anything show on the outside. “Well, I wouldn’t say that Fl-Barlow cares that much about me. I was just a lowly student that he thought would be a good fit with the company. I haven’t spoken with him since.”

“Yes, but that isn’t the point. The point is, he  _ chose you.  _ That is the poetic justice of it all.”

Silver had to look down for a second to compose himself. He was almost of the mind that this was a test, but from what he knew about Pratt was that he was nowhere near subtle enough to pull off such a thing. Besides, he was firmly in the pockets of Willow, Nestor, and Hoover. No, this was just Pratt welcoming him into their little club, and Silver had to swallow his damn feelings and accept it with open arms.

He looked up and put on a tight smile. “If you say so.”

“Of course I say so!” beamed Pratt. “We will become legends. People will whisper of our names for decades to come.”

Silver frowned. “Aren’t we supposed to be anonymous throughout all this? Wouldn’t people knowing our names defeat the purpose?”

Pratt seemed to deflate a bit at that. “Well yes… but once the tower has fallen, we can come out of the ashes and proclaim our victory. Besides, at that point what can Barlow, or any of the other bastards do about it? They’ll be ruined, and we’ll each be sitting on millions upon millions of dollars. It’ll be glorious.”

Silver leaned forward, heart thumping in his chest. “Yes, but what about the law? If word gets out on what we’ve done, it could get ugly.”

Pratt smiled. “I’m glad you asked. That’s where you come in.”

That pulled Silver up short. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I follow.” If there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that he was not going to be the scapegoat in this scenario. The moment he caught wind of any rumor that he was going to fall in their place he was going back to Flint and laying his cards bare. That was the beauty of having a foot on either side of the door.

“What are you doing tomorrow night?” Pratt asked.

Well, he  _ was _ going to spend the night curled up in his chair reading his book, while listening to the calming breaths of Flint as he did the same on the other side of the room. He was very tempted to say he was busy, but Silver knew he couldn’t use that excuse. Besides who knew what Flint was going to be up to these days. The last two nights he hadn’t been home, so he probably was going to be gone tomorrow night as well. Silver was his own person; he wouldn’t have his plans be dictated by another man.

“Nothing, I’m free. Why?”

“There are some people we want you to meet, which will make everything seem a lot clearer.”

“Who?” Silver asked.

Pratt shook his head. “Can’t say here. Never know who might be listening, but where do you live? I’ll come pick you up at 6 if that works for you.”

Silver thought frantically, he couldn’t very well tell him where he lived. Desperately he grasped at straws and hoped his judgement on the other guy was right. “Oh, I still live in the hood, so I can meet you at the library if that’s more convenient for you.”

As suspected, Pratt visibly shuddered. “Yeah, that’ll be fine. What the fuck are you doing still in such a place? What are you even doing there at all?” he asked, disgust etched into every crevice of his being.

Silver shrugged, pretending not to be stung by the words. Not everyone came from money and if it wasn’t for Flint he would still be out there. The thought brought a stab of guilt to his stomach, but he pushed it away. Guilt goes away if you let it. It seemed he was reminding himself of that a lot lately. “Oh, it was just too much of a hassle to move. Besides it’s not that bad. I don’t really have anything of value to steal so no one bothers me anyway,” Silver said with a half smile. Pratt still looked grossed out, but thankfully, he just shrugged his shoulders and let it drop.

“Well if it suits you, be my guest. But yeah, 6 in front of the library works?”

“Works great.”

“Perfect. I can’t wait for you to see what we’ve got. It’s going to change your entire world.”

Silver nodded. “I’m sure it will.”

Silver didn’t know whether that was going to be a good thing or not.

+

What better way to find gang members was to first look into prostitutes? The more James researched into the life of those working in the sex industry, the more he realized how disillusioned he had been. There were some woman who legit asked for only two dollars in exchange for sex, that was how dire the situation was. The laws were also making it extremely hard for them to make a living while being safe. It made him feel helpless in it all.

He found Max and Idelle in a more upper class prostitute business, that was more for escort services, though they did end up providing the whole package with their customers.

It took very little to convince them to join his little shop.

As they got things sorted out, he broached the topic of Vane.

“Have either of you ever encountered, or heard wind of a gang member by the name of Charles Vane?”

Idelle laughed. “Who on the streets hasn’t? He’s notorious for being a gigantic bully, terrorizing anyone who gets in his way. Why?”

“I would like to talk to him,” James replied simply.

Max, being the observant, shrewd person she was, saw right through him. “You will offer him the same offer, or a similar one you offered us, yes?”

James paused, but in the end nodded his head. He knew it was pointless trying to lie to her.

Max pursed her lips. “Why? He is a heathen. There is no taming him.”

“You do not know that. Yes, what he values most is his freedom and he feels that domesticity is a chain against his freedom, but I feel I can convince him otherwise.”

“Why the fuck would you want to do that?” Idelle asked.

“It’s complicated, but sometimes people deserve a different chance. Don’t worry, I will not let him harm you.”

Idelle scoffed. “You? You do realize he is the leader of a  _ gang _ right? Not some posh business owner like yourself. I doubt you would last a second.”

James bared his teeth in his shark smile. “Oh, don’t worry about me.”

Max was watching him with critical eyes, whatever she saw she seemed to accept since she nodded her head and reached out for Idelle’s hand. “Come, ma cherie. I trust him. If he says that Vane will not hurt us, even if he brings him into the fold, then I believe him. This will be the start of a new life.”

James gave them both a kind smile, a rarity for him.

As they were leaving, Max turned back around. “Go to Wild Horse pub, he likes to drink there with his gang members. They don’t like strangers, especially rich ones, so be careful.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

Max nodded her head once again then left, off to go visit the bookstore and hopefully make friends with all those who were there already. He had a feeling it wouldn’t be hard for them both to fit in.

James on the other hand had a pub to hang out in.

+

Pratt picked Silver up at the library in his fancy sports car that was far too rigged up with fancy thingmabobs than was healthy for both the riders and the car itself. Silver felt so out of place just sitting in the moving atrocity. While Flint had a driver, at least the car wasn’t fancy. It was just a black, non-descriptive car that he used more than safety reasons than anything else. Silver knew he also had a blue hybrid as well for personal stuff, but he rarely used it and a hybrid was something Silver could get behind. A sports car? Not so much.

Still, Silver could use this. “So are you into Nascar?”

Oh boy, did that get him talking. Silver tuned him out as Pratt droned on and on about the wonders that was diesel fuel and screeching wheels. Some people were simple that way.

They stopped at the Palace of Westminster.

The fuck?

Pratt got out, whistling a merry tune, while Silver stumbled after him. This was outside of all of Silver’s wildest theories. It was outside the realm of everything Silver had come to know. He didn’t know jack shit about parliament or the politics that went on there. He just assumed they were all old coots who were out of touch with the world.

Pratt led him inside one of the towers, and through a couple of halls that were certainly not for tourist use. Silver felt like he was in an out of body experience. This was so surreal. The halls felt like they were pressing in on him and Silver found it hard to breath. At such a late hour, the place was mostly empty so every footstep seemed to echo throughout the halls. It was not helping at all with Silver’s growing nerves.

Pratt opened a door to this off to the side room, and inside were a couple of middle to upper aged men, all of them smoking cigars. Wasn’t it illegal to smoke inside this building? Well, if they were to talk about rule breaking, why not break rule number one?

“Bailey, Jasper, Grant, this here is John Silver,” Pratt said.

The three men all nodded over to him, Grant gestured for Silver to take a seat, which Silver sat at gingerly.

“Cigar?” Jasper asked, Silver shook his head no. He couldn’t bring himself to break the rules just yet.

Jasper shrugged and lit up the new one all the same, taking it for himself. His other one wasn’t even half done, such a waste.

“So John, you are probably quite confused,” Pratt said with a smirk. Still with the John…

Silver nodded his head, looking between the four men.

“This is how we will get away with what we are doing,” Pratt said.

Bailey took a puff of his cigar before leaning forward. “We know all about it, and love it. Started betting against the stocks myself, going to get rich, let me tell you. However, we do need the added layer of protection since, as you probably know, what we are doing ain’t strictly legal. That is where you come in.”

Everyone kept saying that, but never informing Silver of where exactly he fits in. It was really getting on his nerves.

“We heard you are good at convincing people. Getting them to follow you and all that,” Jasper said.

“Are you talking about my co-workers? Trust me, that wasn’t hard to do. Anyone could do that.”

Pratt shook his head. “Nah man, that takes skill. They all still speak highly of you even though you are one of us now. You even got the two chicks on your side.”

“Cindy and Indu,” Silver said tightly. They weren’t ‘chicks’.

“Yeah, those bitches,” Pratt laughed. The others joined in the awful chorus. Silver felt sick to the stomach.

“You see where we are going with this right?”

Silver shook his head; why did they always assume he was with them? He was smart, but not a psychic.

“We want you to run in the upcoming election.”

…  _ What?? _

“I’m sorry, but are you all out of your minds?”

Jasper laughed. “No no, hear us out. All you have to do is be your charming little self, give speeches, kiss babies. All that fun stuff. We will do all the background stuff, you know get the money, organize the campaign, get the media attention. It’ll be a breeze.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This was so out of his depth and beyond anything that Silver could have even imagine. He had to be dreaming, that was the only logical explanation. “I have no experience in such things.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Bailey said, “we’ll get you credentials, we’ll get you everything you need. It’ll all be covered, trust us. All you have to do is repeat the speeches we give you in a way that’ll get people to vote for you.”

He was to be a puppet.

“Just think, you’ll rule the country; you’ll be playing with the greats,” Grant said, “you’ll be the big shebang.”

“Why me?”

“Why? Because frankly you are a handsome, young man, and Britain is looking for fresh blood. See how the princess and her baby made everyone all excited again? Well that will be the same with you. It doesn’t matter what you are spewing, you will represent the youth vote. The oldies, the one who actually listen to what you are spewing, will like what you are saying and vote for you. You’ll have them all,” Grant replied.

Silver turned to Pratt, “Was this what Morris was supposed to be doing?”

Pratt chuckled, “that idiot? Hell no, he would have just been in charge of transferring money between the banks. When we saw your potential, we just couldn’t let the opportunity drop. Jasper here was originally going to run, but he prefers to do the dirty work.”

Jasper nods in concurrence. “Never liked giving public speeches. Don’t worry, I hold no grudges against you.”

“If this gets out, I’ll get slandered.”

“This won’t get out. We have it all under control. We’ve been planning this for years,” Bailey said.

“Listen,” Pratt said, “I like you kid. I think you’ll go far in anything you do, but this chance? This chance only comes around once in a lifetime. You can be the king, fuck the queen, you’ll be the one really in charge; you can be the giant above everyone. Don’t let such an opportunity go to waste.”

Fuck, there was that word opportunity again. Calling out to him, tempting him in ways beyond imagining. He knew such a path was wrong, and held so many dangers, but hearing them speak about it, about all the power he would hold, the respect… it was oh so tempting. So tempting.

Hell, this was better than being in charge of a company. This was being in charge of an entire country.

“Can I have a couple of days to think on this?” Silver asked.

“Of course, there is no rush,” Jasper said, “why doesn’t Pratt bring you on down tomorrow during the day so you can get a feel on how things run here. Once you get a taste, there is no way you’ll say no.”

“Why don’t you have him over for dinner as well,” Grant suggested.

Jasper nodded. “Good idea, though it’ll have to be next week, can you come over on Tuesday night?”

Silver nodded, it was all happening too fast.

“Perfect!” Bailey said, getting up. “Now let’s get out of here. I have a cricket game to catch.”

Fucking cricket. Silver hated the sport.

+

James entered the pub, scrunching up his nose at the smell of spilled alcohol and dried blood. The place was a loud mess, with drunken men and scantily clad women frolicking around the place. It was almost like the brothel back in Nassau, except this place was spouting out crappy metal rock from the speakers and the televisions were airing wrestling matches. Of course Vane would be here.

James knew he stood out like a sore thumb, but it was unavoidable at this point, already glares were sent his way.

“Got lost on the way to bingo night?” one man called out. His jab was followed by cackling and more jeers. Great, just great.

Ignoring the insults, he looked around the room, hoping that Vane would actually be here. Tonight must have been his lucky night because he spotted him, with a female wrapped around his waist and himself in this deep conversation with another big lad.

He still had the same long brown hair and was well built, a huge presence to say the least. This Vane, though, was covered in tattoos and adorned in black leather. He was not someone you would generally want to approach on a day to day basis. People probably thought James was crazy. Hell, he probably was.

Wishing himself luck, he walked over. He was about five yards from the table when this ugly brute of a man stepped up, holding a knife up to James’ chest. James paused, looking down at the weapon, evaluating the situation. The hold on the knife was weak, one quick twist of the wrist and the knife would fall to the ground. However, there were a couple of other men standing near him and if James started a fight he doubted he would get out alive.

“Back away from our leader,” the man growled.

James held up his hands. “I just want a quick word.”

“Like fuck you do.”

This caught the attention of Vane and he got up, coming over to where they were standing. The rest of the pub went silent, watching the proceedings. Even the music was turned down. They were obviously expecting a fight.

“Who the fuck are you?” Vane asked; he pushed the other man back, looking James up and down as if assessing him.

James smirked. “James Flint. May I have a word?”

“You’ve been asking about me haven’t you?”

The others started to bristle. Seemed like word travelled fast.

“Yes, so will you grant me a couple of minutes?”

Vane smirked. “You’ve got balls coming down to my territory. Let me give you a piece of advice,” he said, leaning in, “get the fuck out of here and don’t ever come back.”

James bared his teeth in a grin. “Now why would I do that?”

Another man stepped forward, brandishing his gun. Others also got out their weapons. Vane, however, was watching James’ eyes, looking for fear or uncertainty, he wouldn’t find any of that. There was only confidence. Before anything could happen, Vane held out his hand, “wait.” The others stopped moving. “What makes you so special?” he asked.

“My real name is James Flint, but I also go by James Barlow, and wouldn’t the news outlets go crazy if the great James Barlow went missing?”

The place immediately rose in hisses as people whispered to each other. Vane watched him shrewdly, calculating things. Finally, he jerked his head towards a door, presumably leading into a side room. “You have ten minutes.”

“That’s all I need.” James hoped it would be enough.

They entered the room, Vane closing the door behind them. The sound of the horrendous music already coming back on. “What is it you want? Wouldn’t take you as someone who delved in drugs, but who am I to judge?”

“Not drugs no, books.”

Vane stared at him in disgust, already starting to get up.

James rolled his eyes. “No, I do not want to write a biography about gangs or any of that shit. I want to offer you an opportunity that will sound outrageous and totally undesirable at first, but I do hope that you listen to it and think it through.”

“What sort of fucked up opportunity can you give me with books?”

“I’m building a bookstore. A bookstore that is in an area that would be horrible for business, but that is not the point of the bookstore.”

“Is it a front?” Vane asked, a light already starting to gleam back in his eyes.

“No.”

The light faded, and Vane scowled, leaning back in his chair.

“The bookstore is an opportunity for a select group of people to hang out in and be free. Free from the pressures of capitalism, free from the pressures of working, free from working for or under people. Linking domesticity with freedom together.”

“Listen. Well that might be great and all for rich folks like yourself, I have no interest in such things. Leave now before I punch your face in.”

“You can only understand chaos. You can only understand madness, but your gang? This gang that you have built? It’ll dissolve in a couple of years. New bills, new laws are coming in that are going to change the drug landscape. Pretty soon those men out there will forgo selling drugs to getting actual jobs because selling drugs will no longer be something that makes them a lot of money. The crimes you do will no longer be prosperous if these bills go through, and trust me I will use all my influence to make that happen.”

“Bullshit!”

James calmly took out his tablet and showed Vane the files. Vane looked them over, face growing more and more disgusted as he read on.

“Why haven’t I heard of this fuckery?”

“Because I didn’t want it getting out just yet. I’m someone who likes to keep their cards close to their chest. So, as you will see, soon you’ll either have to find a new, harder way to fight against this world, or you can join the workforce and start working under someone.” James paused, “or you can join what I’m building and forge yourself a better life.”

“Fuck you,” Vane growled, “like fuck I’m going to listen to that bullshit. More likely than not those bills will never pass through. That place is corrupt as fuck.”

“Oh I know, but when one has money… let’s just say, things tend to go my way,” James said with a smirk.

Vane looked away, obviously done with this conversation. James leaned over and placed the address to the bookstore in front of him. Without a word, he left. It was up to Vane now.

Of course, the bills and stuff were all fake, he had absolutely no power in political doings, but Vane never had to know that. However, if Vane did come on board, James would make certain that none of his old gang came running around. That was something that was most definitely in his power.

…

A couple of days later, Vane came to the bookstore.  He soon made fast friends with Jack and Anne and never looked back to his gang life. Some miracles were possible after all.


	23. Losing Thread

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters today because I love you guys!! (Also because I want to get this story done before the next season starts, but we'll see how that goes)  
> Just out of curiosity, do you like it if I post more than one chapter at once or prefer if I just stick with one chapter updates?

The following day Pratt took Silver to the hustle and bustle of an actual full day of Parliament. Silver had gotten excited about the prospect of it all as he had thought it over the previous night. The thought of being the poor boy from the streets who didn’t have a home becoming the leader of this damn place was exhilarating. As he went with Pratt the following day an underlying current of excitement was running through his veins.

As he saw the hustle and bustle of it all happening in real life that feeling only continued to rise. He could be one of these people… no scratch that, he wouldn’t just be  _ one  _ of these people, he would be  _ the  _ person. The leader of this whole thing. The one people would look up to, the one people would respect.

He could make himself at home here.

Then the honeymoon came to an end.

As the day carried on, things started happening and not in a good way. He would talk to a couple of people and found that everything that came out of their mouths was fake. Those who weren’t were hopelessly mocked. Then, he attended a court session. The debate went back and forth, people got angry, nobody listened to each other, nothing got done.

At first, Silver created up ways that he would change things. He decided that he would foster an open, trusting environment. Debates would be encouraged, but then so would dialogues. Respect would be key and people would know that what they said was being heard and could become of utmost importance.

Then Pratt took him aside and showed him the beginnings of what was to be his campaign. Let’s just say, it didn’t make much sense, and all of Silver’s ideas? Yeah, weren’t going to happen.

“I’m to advocate for more money for the poor… but how?” Silver asked. That seemed great and all, but that wasn’t exactly what he had suspected his campaign was going to run on.

Pratt snorted. “See, that’s the kicker. You say you’ll be advocating for better distribution of income, but in order to do that more privatization is needed. Anyways, it’s all bullshit, once you get in charge, you’ll be able to pass the bills we actually want you to pass.”

“What if I do want to help the poor?”

Pratt looked at him like he was an idiot. “Listen kid, don’t go creating fantasies of being the big kid on the block who fosters world peace. That ain’t going to happen. As long as you follow what we’re doing and do as we say you’ll be just fine. And if not…” the threat was clearly evident.

Seeing his worried look, Pratt beamed again. “Hey, don’t worry kid. Look at it this way, you’ll get a free ride. You won’t even have to do anything, just give speeches and look pretty. Frankly I would love to be in your position. Would be so much less stressful. You’ll be at the very top, have all the money, and it’ll be great!”

It did sound like a good deal, and Silver knew countless people who would jump at the opportunity. He would be stupid to let it go. So, Silver smiled and nodded his head, though inside he couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. This wasn’t exactly how he pictured it.

They went back into another big room where a bunch of politicians were hanging out. Pratt led Silver over to where Jaspar and Bailey were chatting. They seemed to be sniggering over something. “What’s up?” Pratt asked.

Bailey pointed over to where a young black woman was standing talking to an older Caucasian lady. “Madi Scott just announced she’ll be running for candidacy. This race is already as good as sold.”

Madi Scott… wasn’t that Professor Scott’s daughter? She looked up and looked over at them, catching Silver’s eye. Her expression turned cold and she visibly turned away. That sent the other three men into a fit of cackles. Silver only felt guilt. Professor Scott had seen so much potential in him, but if he was running against her… well was he really doing the right thing? Especially when what he was going to be working for was giving more money to the rich and less to the poor. He was also going to ruin a ton of people’s lives as well. Hundreds, if not thousands of people will lose their jobs if the market crashed and it would be all because of Silver and the people he was working with.

What on earth was he doing?

_ Talk to Flint. _

Silver frowned. It had felt like ages since Silver had actually had a real conversation with Flint. Now, they tended to just pass each other in the kitchen, heating up leftovers or whatever was in the fridge. Hell, half the time Silver ate at work, heating up pre-made meals that tasted like bland sawdust compared to what he had been eating before.

Thing was, perhaps there was a way to get out of this mess, perhaps they were wrong when they said there was no way to reverse what was happening. Yes, he needed to talk to Flint.

+

Turned out Eleanor Guthrie was running a failing shipment business that used to be owned by her father. Thankfully, Richard Guthrie was dead so James didn’t have to deal with him again. Two times was enough for even one lifetime.

He knew Eleanor would be the toughest to crack, especially since the only real tie she would have to the bookstore would end up being Max, and that could sometimes be rocky at best. That reminded him, he needed to find Mr. Scott. That would probably help since there was no way he was going to be looking for Rodgers. That man can rot in a cell for all James cared. He still held some grudges.

The best way to approach her was for business.

He entered her office, noticing how she immediately sized him up, evaluating how much of a threat he was. Already forming outcomes where she could take advantage of the situation. Always on offense, Eleanor was.

“Welcome, Mr. Flint. So, what can I do for you today?”

“I’m opening a bookstore and I was looking into suppliers to bring books in.”

Eleanor’s eyes gleamed, sensing a golden opportunity. “Of course! You have come to the right place. Was there a specific genre of books you were looking to focus in on, or prefer bestsellers. What do you need.”

“I do need some older classics, or even lesser known older books.”

Eleanor nodded her head, rapidly typing away at her computer. “Some of those will be a bit more expensive to obtain. The classics shall be easy, but the lesser knowns? They aren’t always in stock.”

“Money isn’t an issue.”

“Good! Any other preferences?”

“Oh whatever you can get your hands on. Good books though, I don’t want any young adult crap.”

Eleanor paused in her typing. “That’s the stuff that makes money.”

James shrugged. “I don’t care, that’s not what I’m here for.”

She seemed less pleased now, but that was to be expected, she was still thinking on how to make the biggest bang for her buck. Right now, she needed him.

“I would suggest also investing in ebooks and tablets, those are big sellers.”

“No.”

Eleanor raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry?”

“No, I don’t want to invest in such things.” That was not what this bookstore was going to be about.

Eleanor breathed sharply, but put a forced smile back on her face. She was never one for customer service. “Fine, no ebooks. Will you be selling accessories?”

“Just books for now,” James said.

“I guess you are just starting out. Need room to grow and all that,” she acquiesced, “by the way, where will this store be located?”

He gave her the address, and all of the gleam that had entered her eyes dropped out. “You can’t have a surviving business there! That’s a dead man’s zone.”

“Oh, I know,” James said with a smirk.

Eleanor did not seem amused. “Listen, I’m trying to help you here. No matter what anyone says or tries to do, there is no way that place will ever become a business zone. It just isn’t possible.”

“That’s what I’m banking on,” James said.

“What?”

“Why don’t you come down and see for yourself? The place is almost done; I think you’ll like it.”

“I’m very busy at the moment.”

“Please. I would like you to get a feel of the place so you can choose the right books to fill the rest of the store up with.”

Eleanor closed her eyes for a couple of seconds, but nodded her head when she opened them. “Fine, when would be a good time to visit?”

“We can go now if you want.”

Eleanor gaped at him, but he had booked her for the next hour and a half, and he knew for certain that she had no appointments after him. “You can bring your assistant, Eme, along as well.”

“…Okay.” Eleanor looked like she was going to regret it, but at least she said yes.

The three of them made their way to the bookstore. There, the place was abuzz with activity, it seemed that Max, Idelle, Featherstone, and Jack all wanted to make the bookstore a café as well, and Charlotte, who Max and Idelle had brought along with them, was drawing up the plans. Logan, who seemed to have become enchanted with Charlotte, was hanging on to her every word. Charles and Gates were against the idea, saying they were almost done the bloody store and that it would just be more work. Billy, Anne and the rest stood to the side, amused with the proceedings.

As if like magic, Eleanor and Eme joined the crew with hardly a ripple. Soon Eleanor was a strong advocate for the café, and Vane quickly turned tables as well. After that, well there wasn’t much Gates could do.

It would mean it would take a bit longer for the place to be done, but no one seemed to mind. This was their safe place and they were damn sure to make it their own.

“Crazy, the lot of them,” Gates said, coming up to James. They had been getting on a lot better lately. In fact, it was like they had been old pals their whole lives. James was relieved that it had all turned out in the end.

“Do you really mind all that much?”

Gates laughed. “Hell no, extra work means more pay for me. I just didn’t want Vane to feel like he was alone in all of this.”

James smiled, they were already starting to take care of each other. “Why was Vane against it at first?”

“Doesn’t like the idea of tea cups or some such shit.”

James burst out laughing. Oh, that was just classic Vane. “Well, I guess we’ll invest in big mugs then,” he said, still chortling.

“Yeah. Oh hey, the girls want to get started on the garden, but don’t really know where to start. Do you happen to know anyone who could help?”

“Oh and why would I be the one to know?”

Gates side-eyed James, knowing when James was being a shit. It felt good to have such banter again, he missed doing so with Silver… oh. It was like getting splashed in the face with water. Wasn’t he supposed to be doing this for Silver? It seemed that because of all the countless hours he had placed into making this thing, he was tearing the thin strands that their relationship was standing on. He could feel it slipping through his fingers and he didn’t know how to fix it.

“Hey, are you alright?”

“Fine,” James said, far too quickly, “don’t worry. I know someone who can help with the garden. Was planning on bringing her in anyways.”

“Good,” Gates said, though he didn’t look convinced that James was alright. James wasn’t sure he could convince himself either.

Then Max came up to them, a sneaky smile on her face.

“What?” James asked, bells going off in his head.

Max’s smile grew. “There is this specialty coffee place about a day’s drive from here that is the exact layout that I want for the café. We should all go and check it out.”

“Okay... when?”

“Now,” Max said.

“Now?” Why on earth…?

“Oui, maintenant. So we get there by morning to all have a nice cup of early morning coffee. The rest have all agreed.”

Of course they had. “And how are we to get there?” James asked.

“Well, Gates has his van, Vane and Anne have their bikes, and you and Eleanor have a car.”

“I’m down,” said Gates

“Why do we all have to go?” James asked.

Max tutted. “Because it’ll be fun mon cher. A mini road-trip of sorts. Please?”

James sighed, her puppy dog face was almost as bad as Silver’s. “Alright.”

The whoops and hollers that filled the room indicated that everyone had been eavesdropping in on their conversation, the rascals.

James briefly thought of informing Silver, but decided against it. Silver probably wouldn’t care, let alone even be home tonight. He probably wouldn’t even notice that he was gone.

+

When he got home, Flint wasn’t there. The house was empty and desolate, like it was wont to be lately. Silver, poured himself a drink and stayed up late, waiting for him… and waiting. By the time the clock striked 2am Silver realized that Flint wasn’t coming home, he had also drunk half a bottle of whiskey, so wasn’t in the right mindset. Looking around the silent house Silver felt a rage build up inside of him. Fine. If that was how Flint wanted to be then that was how he was going to play it. Silver didn’t need Flint; Silver didn’t need anyone.

Opening up his phone, he typed out a message to Pratt:

_ I’m in. _

He was going to take up the position and no one was going to stop him.

…

_ Two men came up to the docks, and what an interesting story they have to tell him. About Spanish gold and sick men, leaving it vulnerable to the taking. How interesting indeed. Silver can use this. _

_ His insides are still burning with anger over Flint’s lies, his betrayal. This can be payback. Sweet, glorious payback. _

_ So, he does what he does best. He spins tales, he spreads lies, he ensures control over the two men, and everything falls into place. Soon the gold will be his and Silver will never have to see Flint again. _


	24. Life of a Puppet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter of my double posting!  
> Also, I may one day write out how the little road trip went in a little side fic... would anyone be interested??  
> Anyways, thank you to everyone who has stuck with this fic so far!

The pages were signed; his life was written up and strings are attached to his limbs. Was this really what he wanted? Was this really what his life had led him to? It was too late to back out now.

A couple of days later he went to Jasper's house for dinner. The man lived in a huge house, much bigger than Flint’s, and money just oozed out of the place. He had a pretty wife who greeted them at the door, and got them drinks. Silver placed his to the side, not interested in congesting alcohol at the moment.

He was once again there with Pratt, who was, quite frankly, getting on Silver’s nerves. The man’s laugh was this rough bark that sounded like a dying dog and he laughed far too often for Silver’s liking. Did the man ever even work at Walrus Corp? 

The dinner was… awkward to say the least. Pratt and Jasper kept on making these lewd, disturbing jokes when they weren’t droning on about campaign stuff or money crap and Silver felt like he was the odd man out. The wife, also, was very fake. The smile on her face was obviously strained, but she always laughed in a high trill of a voice when her husband said something stupid. Silver was used to hanging out with idiots, but it was with this realization that when he ventured on this campaign, he would be hanging out with the worst of them. His acting skills were going to have to be on point.

The food was also horrible, but then again, Silver was spoiled with Flint’s cooking. Well, no actually, he hadn’t been, at least not lately. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been treated with a fresh out of the oven meal from Flint. The few times he had eaten what Flint had made over the past couple of weeks it was leftovers that needed to be heated up. It just wasn’t the same and without the company, it mostly tasted like sawdust.

Even the company couldn’t have saved this meal, though to be fare the company wasn’t that great either. Time and time again, Silver asked himself what had he gotten himself into.

Finally, dinner was over, but then Pratt and Jasper wanted to sit around and talk for another couple of hours. They pulled out the campaign stuff and started pouring over their notes, balancing out how many donations they would need and what needed to be said during speeches, and all that other crap.

Silver followed along as best he could, but after an hour or so, he needed a break. Excusing himself, he went out to the patio to get some fresh air.

He leaned against the railing, sorting through his wild thoughts, wishing someone would help him make sense of all of this. The door opened behind him, the wife, Sharon, came outside to join him.

“Cigarette?” she offered. Silver politely declined. Shrugging she lit one up, blowing smoke up into the night air.

“Wouldn’t have expected you to be a smoker,” John said, to break the awkward silence.

She laughed, but it wasn’t the high tinkling annoying laugh of before. This one was dark and weary. A laugh of one who was tired of the crap they had to put up with each day. “Didn’t think I was going to be stuck in a loveless marriage either now did I?”

Now that was something Silver didn’t expect to hear, but he found himself not all that surprised by her confession. “Why don’t you leave?”

“I come from a family of rich, pretentious individuals. Leaving my dearest husband would be a scandal I could never survive.”

“I’m sure you’re stronger than letting a silly scandal stop you.”

Sharon shook her head, blowing more smoke out of her mouth. “There is much you have yet to understand. You are so young, and so naïve.” She turned to look at him, hard eyes stealing into his soul. “If you continue down this path you have to say goodbye to everything you hold dear. Your morals, your values? They will all be blown to dust.”

Silver gulped, that wasn’t exactly the most cheerful of news.

She continued on, “Do you have someone special in your life right now?”

Silver was about to shake his head, but something stopped him. Instead he held stock still, letting that be the answer, when it wasn’t one. He wanted to hear what she had to say.

She smirked. “If you do, you better let them go now, for you won’t have any time for them, and when you do? You’ll be a changed man. The person that they fell in love with? That person will no longer exist and I doubt that they will continue on loving who you become.”

“I-I’m just to be a puppet,” Silver said, he didn’t know why he said that, maybe to rile up some sort of disagreement, to show that he still had a chance to not change.

She laughed cruelly. “You’ll buy into what you are sowing soon enough, they all do. My husband used to be an idealist, now look at him. As bloody corrupt as the rest. I do hope you know what you’re doing.”

She stamped out the rest of her cigarette and slipped back inside, leaving Silver with only his thoughts.

No, he didn’t. He had no fucking clue, and the only person who he could even think of going to no longer cared about him. Was no longer around to pick him up when he fell. Perhaps this was what Flint had planned for him all along. String him along and then drop him, forcing him to find someone else to tag along with. This was why he didn’t get close to anyone, but he couldn’t help but feel that he was taking his anger out in all the wrong ways.

He didn’t want to be alone, but he didn’t know how not to be.

+

The trip down to the café had been a wild ride: Vane had nearly gotten into a fight with an old lady, Gates’ van got a flat tire, they got lost three times, Jack’s phone screen got smashed. Finally, they made it to the café, and of course it wasn’t like Max and Idelle had remembered it. They still sold good coffee, but Max was not at all pleased with the layout and declared that their café would look nothing like this. James frankly didn’t see what was wrong with it, but he didn’t dare say anything.

Charlotte was tasked with coming up with a new design, but Jack and Eleanor kept on making suggestions forcing Charlotte to start over each time. It was chaotic and a mess, but at the end of the day, James couldn’t remember a time when he had been happier.

Now that he was home, however, James had to get back to work finding more people from Nassau, or well, one last person, which was Mr. Scott.  

To James utmost surprise he found that Mr. Scott had actually been one of Silver’s professors. By god what a small world they were living in. It only further deepened his resolve that he was supposed to bring everyone together.

He entered the office expecting for this to be an easy conversation. It was anything but.

“Mr. Scott, my name is James Flint, thank you for meeting with me.”

“You don’t fool me Mr. Barlow. For what reasons are you actually here?”

“So you have heard of me?”

“How could I have not? You are the owner of the most prestigious financial bank company in our country. Strange how there are so few pictures of you though. You should be all over the business reader’s pages.”

“I tend to keep a low profile,” James said with a chuckle, but he didn’t like how Mr. Scott was looking at him, like he was distasteful piece of meat. Not exactly the right setting for what James wanted to deal with.

Mr. Scott just nodded his head, obviously not impressed. “What are you doing here?”

Better get to the point, James thought. “I’ve come to offer you an opportunity-”

“I’m not interested in working for a corrupt company again,” Mr. Scott interrupted.

James paused, “Again?”

“America, 2008,” was all he said. James nodded in understanding.

“You worked over there?”

“Yes, and the same thing is happening here. I can see it.”

James knew all too well that was true. “Yes, well that is not what I’m asking of you.”

“Oh, then what are you asking of me?”

“I’m asking you to help run a bookstore/café with a bunch of other people.”

Mr. Scott raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because I think you’ll be a good fit. Why don’t you come down to see it,” James said, he handed over the address to the place. Mr. Scott took it, eyeing it skeptically. There was not much more James could do, but like Vane, he had a pretty good feeling that he would at least drop by.

He made to get up, but Mr. Scott’s next words stopped him.

“John Silver is working for you is he not?”

“Yes. Why?”

“My daughter saw him down at Westminster Palace the other day. He seemed quite close with some of the more corrupt politicians in the business. I thought you should know.”

It was at this point that James realized to what extent he was failing Silver. He had always, in the back of his mind, thought that he could repair the damage he was doing in some way, but now he wasn’t so sure. He had been pulling away because it had become too hard to resist Silver being so near him. It was a shitty excuse at best, but it hurt. No one could understand how much it hurt.

With Thomas, there had always been that bond, that knowledge that it was highly unlikely that one of them would leave the other. With Silver, one would never know, and that was why it hurt all the more to grow attached but not see the same thing happen in return. That was why he was building this bookstore, why he was doing all this for Silver, but it was all just an excuse. An excuse to make himself believe that once he showed Silver what he had done for him, that everything would be fixed. That they would finally get together.

He wanted to tell Silver that he loved him. He wanted to whisper it into his ear and watch how Silver would stammer and flush red, or say it in passing as he handed over a cup of coffee, or just be able to say it god dammit! He wouldn’t expect Silver to ever return the sentiment, or say it back, but just having Silver know and not run away would be enough. For Silver would surely run if he said it too soon, it was in Silver’s nature to run, especially if he felt tied down. To have him stay and just accept James’ love would mean all the world to James. That was all he really wanted and he was afraid that might not be attainable anymore.

If Silver was working with corrupt politicians, then there was no way in hell that Silver wasn’t fully in the corruption spewing across the land. James knew about it, of course he knew, but he hadn’t realized that Silver could actually get involved with it. He had thought he had set enough of an incentive to stay in his pocket. How wrong must he have been.

He looked over at Mr. Scott, who was staring at him like it was his fault that Silver was getting involved with these people. In the end, it was, wasn’t it? He had to get out of there. “Noted, thank you,” James said gruffly, quickly exiting the office. He collapsed in his car, tears rolling down his cheeks. What have you done Silver? What they hell have you done?

+

Silver entered a pub, it was late, well past midnight, but he didn’t care. He knew that going home will be met with silence, so he was avoiding that as long as he could. He was then reminded that as soon as he was announced to run for candidacy he would be booted out of the house. Just another thing that he had to do — find a new home.

Ironic wasn’t it? He had decided he needed to become more independent, less reliant on Flint, and in doing so had led him to be more tied down and trapped than any possible outcome with Flint. God, he was such an idiot.

The drink he ordered tasted like piss, but he gulped it down anyways. Maybe he should have drunk at the stupid dinner party, but it was too late now. He would just get hammered here, he had money now to do so.

“What’s got you in a dither?”

Silver turned, squinting at the person who sat down beside him. Farjad. A wave of guilt rushed over him. Farjad was a wonderful human being. He was nice, kind, had a wife and two kids. Once the stock markets crashed he would be out of a job. His whole family who were dependent on him would be left with nothing. It was sickening to think of.

Silver shrugged, taking another long pull of his drink. Why couldn’t he just forget?

“I understand,” sighed Farjad, “got in a fight with my wife. She says I’m working too hard. I say I have to pay the bills.”

Silver didn’t need to have this conversation right then. It was just hitting him with all the shame over his actions.

“Things aren’t the same now that you’re gone,” Farjad continued.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, the upperlings have shut everything down. Can’t even run a simple poll for the Euro Cup.”

They won’t even have computers to turn on once E&G’s plan was in place, Silver thought, but he kept his mouth shut. Funny, Silver wasn’t one to keep secrets, he could barely keep his mouth shut half the time, yet he was in this mess because that was what he had done — he kept his mouth shut. He didn’t go to Flint, he didn’t go to the authorities, hell he didn’t even tell his peers. He should have at least told Cindy and Indu, but he hadn’t, so here he was.

“What is it like, having a family?” Silver asked, Sharron’s words still echoing in his ears. He also needed to steer the conversation away from work.

“Right now? It sucks,” Farjad chuckled, but then he turned more morose. “But I wouldn’t trade it for the world. There is nothing better coming home to two children running up to give their dad a hug. Or a wife to give a kiss to. Though, that rarely happens mind you.”

They chuckled together for a few seconds, but neither were into it. Silver could only think about how he could never have that. A family, who loved and cared for him — that was never in the cards for him.

He finished the last of his drink, and stared into the empty cup. As empty as his soul.

“Hey, from my experience,” Farjad said, patting him on the back, “whatever shit you’ve got going on, it gets better. I promise.”

Silver wasn’t so sure. From his experience, shit always got worse, no matter what he did.


	25. Solomon Little

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I have no idea where this chapter's idea came from.... make of it as you wish

_Solomon lets out a sob. How could this happen? Why is she dead? Beside him his sister reaches out to grab his hand. She gives it a comforting squeeze which gives him a little bit of strength. Then a sharp pain jolts through the back of his head._

_“Stop crying boy!” his father hisses. His sister’s hand quickly withdraws, leaving him feeling cold and empty. Solomon can’t help but let out another sob. Too much is going on, he doesn’t know how to control himself._

_The thought of being punished for crying doesn’t help either. The fear invading every crevice in his body. That compiles with his grief making the tears come down harder. Beside him his father growls. There is not much he can do here at the funeral, but back home, oh how he will get punished._

_Solomon looks around. The rest of the guests are all studiously watching the coffin. Pretending to mourn his mother, but they don’t really care. None of them do. It is all just pretense. Solomon hates it._

_He needs to get out of here. Fuck social standards, fuck it all. He needs to be alone. Letting out another loud sob he pushes himself through the crowd and runs away. He runs and runs until his legs won’t carry him any longer._

_He collapses down on the ground, curling in on himself, letting out heavy heaves. How can someone hurt so much when there is no bodily injury? It is like he is missing something now that he will never get back, no matter how far he searches. It doesn’t make sense._

_Curled up like that he can’t stop his thoughts from straying back to that night a week ago, the night that has changed everything._

_…_

 

> _Solomon is woken up by the sounds of soft crying. His first instinct is to turn around to see who it is, but something stops him. The presence beside his bed is too light for it to be his mother or father so that left his sister, but what she is doing here he has no clue. He stays still, pretending to be asleep, while he listens to his sister cry._
> 
> _“I couldn’t do anything. There was nothing I could do,” his sister says. Solomon frowns, whatever could have happened to get her in such a state? Out of everyone he knows, Jane is the strongest person of them all._
> 
> _A hand reaches out and strokes through his curls. If she knew he was awake, she would have never done that, knowing how much it bothers him, but in this state, he allows it. At least she doesn’t ruffle it in a condescending manner like most people do; she carefully strokes her hands through his hair as if trying to comfort him for some reason. From Solomon’s position, it seems that she is more in the need of comfort than him._
> 
> _“I am so sorry for this. You don’t deserve this, but I promise you that I will take care of you. I will look out for you and protect you with all of my ability. You are not alone.”_
> 
> _Now Solomon is really confused and a bit scared. Something horrible must have happened for Jane to be saying such things. She leans down and kisses him on the cheek, leaving behind some wet tears in the process. She stays there for a couple of minutes afterwards, watching him sleep, or so she thinks. It makes his skin prickle, but Solomon takes care to not give himself away. After awhile she finally leaves, closing the door softly behind her. The remnants of her tears the only indication that she has been in the room at all._

_…_

_When Solomon had woken up the next morning, it was to find that his mother had died. From falling down some stairs and hitting her head they say. An accident they say. They won’t let him see the body, and from the look on his sister’s face he knows they are lying. She has been killed and there will be no justice for her. Such is the world he now lives in._

_Solomon knows not how long he has laid, curled up in a ball. He is in a barn, though which one he can’t say. All he knows is that he has no plans on moving anytime soon._

_The sound of the barn door creaking opened echoes throughout the still air. Solomon freezes, this isn’t good. If he is found, he will be taken back to his father. He will be punished!_

_The sound of soft footsteps patters their way around the barn. “Solomon? Solomon where are you?”_

_Solomon breathes out a sigh of relief, it is just his sister. At least he knows that she won’t turn him in, but still, he wants to be alone. He curls up in his ball tighter, hoping that maybe she won’t notice him like that._

_No such luck. Somehow Jane has found him and kneels down beside him with a tired sigh. “Oh Solomon. It’s going to be alright.”_

_He just shakes his head. What does she know? She is no help to him now._

_She reaches out and wraps an arm around his shoulders pulling him in beside her. “Are you hurt? Did father hurt you?”_

_Again, he shakes his head. It had just been a slap on the head, nothing long lasting. His father had been right though; he shouldn’t have shown weakness at the funeral. He should have held it in._

_“It’s okay to cry you know? You have every right to feel pain and anger over what has happened. Don’t listen to what father says.”_

_Solomon would laugh if he wasn’t still crying. Don’t listen to father, like that has ever worked out for him. “Why did she have to die?” he asks in a small voice._

_“I don’t know,” Jane says, “Life can be cruel and unfair, but that just means that we have to work harder and rely on each other now. I know I’m just your sister, but I will always look out for you, I can promise you that. No matter what, I will do my best to protect you.”_

_Solomon looks up into her brown eyes. “How?”_

_She looks away mulling things over. Solomon, for his part, just can’t see how she can help at all. She is just his sister after all._

_“Come,” she says suddenly, getting up._

_“Where are you going?”_

_“Come on, you’ll see!” she calls over her shoulder walking towards the barn door. Curiosity gets the better of him, and so he gets up and follows her out._

_Surprisingly, Jane leads him to the docks. What the fuck they are there for, Solomon has no clue._

_Together they dart around the busy sailors and Navy officers who are working and creep down underneath to where the water meets the land._

_“What the fuck are we doing here?”_

_Jane huffs out a laugh and points out to the sea. From this angle the sun’s rays seems to make the water glitter and shine. It is beautiful to say the least, but Solomon can’t see the point of it._

_“What am I supposed to be looking at?” Solomon asks, crossing his arms and frowning._

_Jane sighs, looking out to the sea wistfully. “Whenever I get sad I like to come down here and just watch the sea. Some days it’s so calm and peaceful that it makes the world seem like a better place. Some days the wind makes waves out of the water and it is wild and untameable. Full of adventure and mystery.” She pauses, getting lost in her thoughts. “There’s a whole different world out there, just asking to be explored. I wish I could one day explore it.”_

_Solomon looks out at the horizon, but he can’t see the appeal. From his point of view, the sea is just cold and wet. Too much effort to be bothered with. “How is this supposed to cheer me up?”_

_Jane glances over at him. “This is my place of escapism. The place where I can go to forget my troubles. I think you should find a place as well. It’ll help.”_

_Solomon frowns. He doesn’t want to escape; he wants his life to not suck anymore. Still though, his sister seems to need it, so he decides to indulge her. “What do you like about the sea so much?”_

_She smiles, looking back out to its vastness. “Do you see how the sun sparkles against the water? It looks almost like silver, doesn’t it? I’ve always loved silver.”_

_Solomon scoffs. “Gold is worth more.”_

_She chuckles. “Yes, but silver is so much more interesting. Gold stays the same, it doesn’t change. You know what you’re going to get with it. But silver? If you don’t take care of it, it rusts. Becomes this crusty, ugly fake thing that seems to be of no use, but… if you put just a bit of care and love into it, it turns into something great again. Something of value, and that is what makes silver so much more attractive to me.”_

_“That just seems like work.”_

_“You know life isn’t about trying to be as lazy as possible. The best things in life usually take a lot of work to obtain.”_

_Solomon rolls his eyes. If he has it his way, he will attempt to get through life with putting in as little effort as possible. Still though, this little chat has cheered him up a bit, which for that, he is thankful for._

_-_

_Solomon pauses at the street corner, watching as his sister picks out the day’s vegetables from the marketplace. There is a poor child who is sitting next to the stand looking at her with these big sad eyes. Once she is done with her purchase, she kneels down and gives the child an apple. He gives her a gap-toothed grin before running off._

_Solomon shakes his head. He will never understand how his sister can be so selfless. Why should one help another when there they aren’t in such a good place themselves? Pushing such thoughts out of his mind he races over to his sister and throws a bunch of weeds into her face._

_“SOLLY!” she shrieks, nearly upending her purchase._

_Solomon lets out a peal of laughter and takes off down the streets. As expected, the sounds of his sister’s heavy footsteps come running after him. Together, they weave around the streets of London like they have done so often when they were little._

_Breath coming out in gasps, Solomon arrives at their house, bursting through the front door, still letting out huffs of laughter. A couple of moments later, Jane comes rushing in, face red from the exertion and the wind. By some miracle, the vegetables are still neatly packaged in the basket._

_“You little minx!” she shrieks, putting down the basket and lunging for him. Solomon nimbly dodges the attack and races up the stairs, Jane right behind him in pursuit._

_“WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?” Their father’s voice roars out from his office. Behind him Jane freezes causing Solomon to stop in his tracks. Since when does Jane care about what their father thought?_

_Father bursts through the door, for a second Solomon feels fear for some reason, which is weird. Father’s face is puffed out and blotchy, eyes bloodshot and wild._

_“I’m sorry. I provoked Solomon into playing a little game with me. It was my fault,” his sister hurriedly says, shooting Solomon a look. Solomon frowns, why is Jane lying? She never lies._

_Father turns to Jane, breath becoming erratic. “You stupid bitch! Don’t you know you are too old to be playing such childish games?”_

_Jane nods, looking down at the floor. Solomon opens his mouth to defend her, but she shoots him another look, warning him to remain silent. He doesn’t understand what is going on. It is like he is missing a piece of the puzzle that is imperative to this game they were playing, and the other two have that piece._

_Father rounds on Jane and grabs onto her arm, shaking her. “LOOK AT ME WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOU, YOU BRAT!”_

_“Dad!” Solomon shouts out. What is he doing?_

_The doorbell rings. It echoes through the house, making everyone freeze where they stand. Father lets go of Jane’s arm and quickly smooths out his shirt and straightens his wig. Without a backwards glance, he goes downstairs to open the door._

_Solomon looks questioningly at Jane, who just shakes her head, not meeting his eyes. She also hurries downstairs and heads off into the kitchen without a word. Solomon stays where he is, not at all comprehending what has just happened._

_-_

_Solomon is looking for another branch that will be able to work for the ladder he is making when he notices Jane standing behind the shed having a break down. Solomon actually pauses for a couple of seconds to take in the scene before him. Seeing his sister cry is a rare sight. In fact, the only time she has cried during their mother’s death was that night when she thought he was asleep. Something horrible must have happened to put her in such a state._

_“Jane?” He asks, taking a couple of steps forward._

_Jane whips around and quickly gets up, wiping away her tears. “Yes Solomon? What do you need?”_

_Solomon frowns. “Why were you crying.”_

_“Oh, no reason. Just something silly, nothing to worry about.”_

_That won’t do. Jane is not someone who cries at silly things. He remembers when she broke her arm from falling out of a tree when they were little. She hadn’t even shed a tear._

_“Don’t do that!”_

_“Do what?”_

_“Shut me out. We’re supposed to be siblings; we’re supposed to look out for each other.”_

_Jane smiles. “My problems are of no consequence. You wouldn’t want to hear of them.”_

_“I do if they put you in such a state.”_

_Jane pauses. “One thing you’ll learn as you grow older is that you won’t be able to show weakness to anyone. People will take advantage of that weakness and use it against you.”_

_“What, so instead you go and cry behind shed doors? How does that help?”_

_Jane shakes her head. “That was a momentary lapse of judgement on my part. I will make certain that I don’t lose such control over myself again.”_

_Solomon is alarmed to say the least by what Jane is saying. It seems to be something that Jane believes in her heart, so she must have been holding in her emotions for a long time now. Whatever has happened must have shaken her indeed. Solomon casts his mind back to what can have possibly created this imbalance in his sister._

_“Does this have something to do with Sir Charles visit today?”_

_Jane freezes, for just a second panic flitters across her face before it became impassive once again. “Why would you say that? Sir Charles is a well-respected gentleman.”_

_“What did he do?”_

_“Why nothing. Though I should tell you, father is considering him a good match for me. I might be married off soon.”_

_Solomon freezes. “Y-you’re leaving me?”_

_“No! No no no.” Jane assures, rushing over and pulling him into a hug. “I will never leave you Solomon. I promise.”_

_Solomon pulls away. “You say that now, but I know how these things work. You’ll get pregnant and have a baby and forget all about me.”_

_Jane looks like she is about to cry again, which should have been a warning sign, but Solomon is too upset to care. Everyone is abandoning him!_

_“I would never,” Jane says, “Listen to me Solly, no matter what happens, or where we end up in our lives, I will do everything in my power to look out for you. You have my word.”_

_Solomon clenches his jaw and looks down at the ground. “Why? Why are you to marry him?”_

_Jane sighs. “It is father’s wish.”_

_“Do you want to marry him?”_

_Silence._

_Solomon looks up, Jane is standing there looking out into the forest, body shaking with the effort to hold back her tears. It disturbs Solomon to say the least. “Jane?”_

_“He’ll beat me,” she whispers, “he’ll beat me and use me and not care for me, and I’m… I’m just supposed to accept it.”_

_Solomon’s heart beat faster. “Why can’t you refuse him then?”_

_Jane starts, it is as if she has forgotten that he is there. “Forget I said that. Please Solomon. Forget I said anything. I can’t refuse father.”_

_“If this Charles guy is going to hurt you, then I don’t see why you can’t refuse him. Tell father!”_

_Jane laughs harshly. “Father knows. He was there.”_

_“What?”_

_Jane shakes her head. “They called me into the room. Talked about how I would make a good wife. Blah blah blah,” she pauses, then barks out a condescending laugh. It sends chills down Solomon’s spine. “Do you know what Sir Charles did?”_

_She spits out his name like it is poison. Solomon shakes his head._

_“He grabbed my chin and looked into my eyes, then said, ‘pity she doesn’t have your wife’s eyes. Her’s are ugly.’”_

_Solomon gaps. Jane has the prettiest brown eyes one can ever have. In the right sunlight, they turn into a mix between green and brown. They are utterly captivating. Solomon has boring blue eyes, like their mother. They are nothing brag about and he can’t understand why Sir Charles would want Jane to have them._

_He hates Sir Charles already._

_-_

_The next time Sir. Charles visits, Solomon is invited in as well. Their father is grinning down at him, an odd gleam in his eye. Solomon knows this isn’t going to be good._

_“Solomon, as you know, Sir. Charles here is a well-respected man, and he has been so kind as to offer you with this wonderful opportunity. That’s great, isn’t it?”_

_Solomon knows he is expected to smile and say yes, instead he says, “what is it?”_

_His father doesn’t look happy about this, but forces on a fake smile. Sir Charles laughs. It is an ugly laugh that makes Solomon’s hair stand on end. “I have agreed to take you in as an apprentice. You’ll study law and work your way up to parliament. Isn’t that great?”_

_It is the farthest thing from great that Solomon can think of. Why on earth will he want to work with stuffy men and wear a wig all the time? The few times he was forced into one were horrible, they made his head itchy._

_“Say thank you Solomon,” his father warns._

_“Thank you,” says Solomon dully. This is the worst day ever. Beside him Jane is staring, stone faced, out the window, off in another world. Solomon wishes he could join her, wherever she is. He knows they would be happy in that land._

_-_

_Wedding preparations start, Solomon hates it. Every day closer to the wedding is a day closer to the end of his freedom. To Jane’s freedom as well._

_One day, Solomon comes home from work and finds Jane sitting at her mirror, dabbing powder over a bruise._

_“What happened?”_

_Jane sighs and shakes her head. “Don’t worry about it.”_

_Solomon gets angry, angry at Jane for thinking it’s alright, angry at the fact that he has no say in his life, angry at the person who hurt Jane, angry at his mother for dying. He hates everything. “Fuck this! Why does this happen to us?”_

_Jane quickly comes over and engulfs him in a hug. It instantly comforts him as she runs her fingers through his curls, but then he feels a wash of guilt. He shouldn’t be the one who is getting comforted, Jane is the one who is hurt. He pulls back and reaches out his hand to gently brush the bruise. She flinches back, face closing off once again._

_“Was it father?” he won’t be surprised if the answer is yes._

_She laughs. “Actually, not this time. This time it was Sir Charles. Fancy that.”_

_Solomon remembers their conversation behind the shed. “Someone has to stop him! You can’t be allowed to marry him.”_

_Solomon is all set to go off and fight the world, fight for his sister, fight for them. Jane, however, has other ideas. “You can’t,” she says, grabbing his arm, “there is too much to lose.”_

_“What is there to lose?” Solomon asks._

_“You have a wondrous opportunity with Sir Charles. A chance to gain a higher standing, a better life. You can’t waste this.”_

_“But at what cost? Your safety?”_

_“Solomon, listen to me. Do_ **_not_ ** _worry about me. Your safety, your well-being, is far more important. You are more important.”_

_“How does that make sense.”_

_Jane sighs. “You were always too smart for your own good, that would have gotten you in trouble in our class station. Working in parliament? Your brains will be rewarded; you have to take this opportunity. Please.”_

_The desperation in her voice is palatable. Solomon wants to argue, wants to disagree, but looking into her frantic eyes, he decides against doing so. If everyone thinks this is the right thing to do, then he will go through with it, even if every bone in his body is screaming at him to stop this from happening. Screaming at him that this is the wrong thing to do._

_-_

_It is a day before the wedding, for some reason Sir Charles is back at their house when he shouldn’t be. He shouldn’t be there, not the day before the wedding, but here he is, having afternoon tea with them. Jane is sitting at her seat, tea cup firmly clutched into her hands. Her knuckles are white, that is how hard she is holding the thing. Solomon is staring daggers into Sir Charles back, knowing what a piece of shit he is. Sir Charles and his father are laughing about something stupid, it makes Solomon’s blood boil._

_His father gets up and leaves the room, presumably to get something from his office. Sir Charles smirks and walks over to Jane, standing over her. Jane looks up, face a mask, but her shaking hands betray her._

_“Give me a kiss darling.”_

_Jane stands up, though no one else would know, Solomon can tell that she is uncomfortable. She kisses him briefly on the cheek._

_SMACK_

_Jane ends up on the ground, hand going up to her cheek where an angry handprint is visible. Sir Charles is leering down at her. “You call that a kiss you ugly bitch?”_

_Solomon knows he should stay out of it, knows Jane told him to hold his tongue, but he can’t. He can’t let this vile man get away with abusing his sister. Without really thinking he runs over and tackles the man. It is only because he has taken him by surprise that the tackle actually works, bringing them both down to the ground._

_Unfortunately, Sir Charles regains his senses and Solomon is screwed. With a roar, he gets up, bringing Solomon up with him only to throw him back to the ground. He is now standing above Solomon, with all the power over him. This is when the kicking starts, harsh kicks right into Solomon’s stomach, his legs, his ribs. Solomon tries to curl up, but the abuse won’t stop._

_“YOU LITTLE FUCKER! YOU THINK YOU CAN ATTACK ME? YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME UP? I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL KILL YOU!”_

_Solomon believes that he will, from the pain he is in, Solomon doubts he will last much longer._

_The screaming stops. Solomon looks up in confusion only to find Sir Charles standing above him with a sword through his head. Jane is standing behind him, holding onto the hilt, a furious gaze in her brown eyes._

_For a second, for a glorious second, Solomon thinks they are free. Then their father walks through the door._

_He takes in the sight, sees Solomon on the ground, sees Sir Charles, who is most definitely dead now, and sees Jane, holding the sword, obviously, the culprit._

_He roars. Never has Solomon heard such a terrifying sound in his life. Leaping forward, his father grabs Jane’s arm and twists it back. She cries out in pain, Solomon gets up to get to her aid, but he is too late. His father takes the sword from her hand and stabs it through her chest._

_Solomon screams._

_Everything is a blur. Somehow, Solomon manages to tackle his father as well. This time, though, he keeps the upper hand. This time, he grabs the sword that has just stabbed his sister and brings it down into his father’s chest. He brings the sword back up and stabs it into his head, there it gets stuck, but the deed is already done. His father is dead._

_Still not quite sure what is going on, he crawls over to his sister, tears blurring his vision. She is still alive!_

_His hope is quickly evaporated at the sight before him. Too much blood has been lost, too much damage has been strewn. “You can’t leave me,” he pleads, though he knows it’s fruitless._

_Jane reaches out with the last of her strength and grabs onto Solomon’s wrist. Her brown eyes burning him with the intensity of her gaze. “Survive. You are smart, you are capable. Survive, no matter what.”_

_There are footsteps, there are screams, he is being torn away from his sister’s body, he is being dragged out of the house. He doesn’t know where, he doesn’t know what is going on. All he knows is that he has to survive. No matter what, he has to survive._

_-_

_Solomon walks down to the docks. Like always it is constantly busy with the bustle of people roaming around, carrying heavy bundles, and shouting things. He detests the thought of having to become one of them, but he needs the money. Being an orphan with no prospects does not leave much room for opportunities._

_“Come along Jane! We’re going to be late!” A woman’s voice echoes out across the decks._

_“I’m coming Lettie!” comes the answering reply._

_Solomon feels his heart beat faster, for just a second he had hoped, for just a second he hoped that it was his sister’s voice that would answer, but no. Jane is long dead._

_Most people would have been consumed by the guilt for what had happened to Solomon, believing it to be their fault if they were in his shoes. Solomon is not most people. He knows that he did the right thing, knows that his sister would have rather been dead than slowly dying at the hands of her abuser, or that is what he tells himself. What he did take from that ordeal was that the only person who knows his best interests, the only person who can look out for him, is himself. He has only himself to trust, and only himself to look out for. That is the only way to survive._

_Solomon walks up to a man who was carrying a bunch of papers. “I’m looking for a job,” he says, putting a pleasant smile on his face._

_The man shoots him a disinterested look and turns back to his papers. “We’re not hiring.”_

_That doesn’t deter Solomon. “You may not think you need someone, but trust me, there is always that one position that needs to be filled. Whether it be a job no one wants to do or a job someone is horrible at and needs replacing. Whatever that may be I can assure you I’m the right fit for it.”_

_The man pauses and looks him over. “How good are you at climbing?”_

_Solomon smiles. “Excellent.” He has never climbed a thing in his life._

_“One of our rig climbers has a sprained wrist, we were going to wait until he healed, but if you can take his position we could leave tomorrow.”_

_“Perfect! I’ll be here.”_

_“Very well, be at the docks at 5am tomorrow. Don’t be late, or the captain will have your head.”_

_“Wouldn’t dream of it.”_

_“Oh, what’s your name?”_

_“S-” Solomon pauses. He hates his name — Solomon Little. Hates everything it represents. This is his fresh start; he needs a new name to go with that._

_“John,” Solomon says firmly. “My name is John.”_

_The man eyes him critically, no doubt knowing it is a made-up name. “And is there a last name to that?”_

_John inwardly panics. This is why you think of these things ahead of time. Cursing inwardly, he looks around for inspiration. The sparkle of the sun drew his eyes to the ocean. There out at sea the beams of sunlight danced with the ocean’s surface causing silver sparkles to glitter up and dance around._

_“Silver. My name’s John Silver.”_

_…_

_The scene changes, suddenly he is standing on a beach, Flint is across from him. Something is going horribly wrong._

_“I can’t do this anymore,” that is his voice, but he doesn’t know why he has said that. He can’t do what anymore?_

_“Can’t do what?” Flint seems just as lost as Silver is._

_“Keep following you, keep expecting things to get better, to change. You have to admit it. It’s over.”_

_“What the fuck are you talking about?”_

_“Nassau is lost.” Silver has a bad feeling about this. Unlike any of the other dreams, for that is what they are, dreams… right? he can’t understand his own motives._

_“No it’s not!”_

_“I’m leaving.” No! Don’t leave! Don’t do this, don’t leave Flint, please Silver, or whoever you are, don’t do this. This Silver doesn’t listen to him; he turns to walk away._

_“Silver, don’t do this.” Flint’s voice is wrecked; it is absolutely wrecked._

_“Goodbye James.” Silver feels like crying, feels like screaming, but this Silver doesn’t do that. This Silver is named Long John Silver and he doesn’t feel pain._

_…_

Silver slowly woke up. His head was pounding and he felt sick to the stomach; his mind was a mess with confusion. What the fuck was wrong was going on? Up to this point he had thought that the dreams were just his subconscious trying to tell him what he needed to hear. Yes, the dreams were messed up, but they tended to parallel events happening in his life. This? This was just messed up. First of all, why on earth had he dreamed of that boy Solomon? It seemed to have been him, but he had never been named that. He had been named John Smith since no one knew where he had come from, so he was allowed to change it when he grew older. Silver had seemed like a better fit for him, though he could never figure out why. Second, why the fuck would he dream up that boy’s life story. He did not need to have those images in his life.

He couldn’t figure out why he was getting these dreams. Frankly they were quite disturbing. Also, weren’t the people you encountered in your dreams supposed to be those you met in your life? Silver was certain that he had never seen any of those people. Dreaming of Flint, he could understand, but this Jane and his supposed father? It just didn’t make sense.

Then the other one, the one with Flint. Was that telling him to walk away from him, or telling him to stay? He couldn’t make it out.

No. He would not start analyzing his dreams, they were just that — dreams. Nothing to worry about, or that was what Silver was firmly trying to tell himself.  

Pushing it all to the side, he got up and got ready for work. This was just a phase in his life. It would come to pass. He was just having regrets and reservations; it was bound to happen. Besides, there was nothing he could do about it now.

+

James called in Miranda, how could he not? She was the one he would always go to when he needed help. She waltzed into the scene, all beauty and grace, eyes alight with curiosity and mischief. “What are you up to now James?”

James shook his head and led her to the building. The renovations were coming along nicely and James couldn’t wait to start the actual designing of the place. That was what Miranda was here for. Holding the door open for her, he let her inside.

Miranda peered around in wonder, taking it all in. “What is this for? This doesn’t seem like a good spot for a bank.”

“It’s not,” replied James, looking around, seeing it through Miranda’s eyes. He would be confused as well. “It’ll be a bookstore.”

Miranda laughed. “Were you running out of space in your library? Need to get rid of some books?”

James shook his head. “No, it’s for Silver.”

Miranda’s mouth dropped open in surprise, then she looked around again, assessing it with new eyes. “James…” she said slowly, “what are you doing?”

It was as if all of his wound-up emotions were hitting him all at once. He didn’t have a fucking clue. “I don’t know,” he said.

Miranda quickly walked over to him and pulled him into a hug. James leaned into the warmth, savouring the comforting touch. “Why don’t we make some tea, and we’ll talk about it.”

James nodded his head, unable to speak at the moment, as Miranda pulled back and set about making the tea. Somehow, she had been smart enough to bring about the needed necessities as if knowing that this was going to be a day for heart to hearts.

They went out to the backyard where the sun was shining brightly. There was a ton of renovation crap littering the place, but they paid it no heed and dragged a couple of old chairs out into the sun and used a crate as a makeshift table.

“So, tell me everything,” Miranda said once they had settled down.

James looked down at the tea in his hands, not sure what to say and what not to. Sensing that James was lost, she leaned over and grasped his arm, stroking it gently. “Why don’t you start with your feelings for this man. I believe there is more to it than what I originally saw.”

James sighed, might as well go right where it hurt first. “He’s… well… I love him,” James said with a self-deprecating laugh. “I would do anything for him and he knows it, and probably is using that for his advantage, but I can’t bring myself to care, because I want to give him the world.” James frowned as he thought things over. “No… actually I don’t think he does anymore. I don’t think he realizes that I would still do anything for him, but I would, I will. I will do anything for him.”

“I’m sensing from what you are saying, that he is heading down a path that can lead to your detriment,” Miranda said.

James nodded.

“And you won’t stop him.”

James nodded his head again.

Miranda breathed sharply through her nose. “That is very dangerous James. You know you should put yourself first.”

James shook his head; she didn’t get it. “That doesn’t matter.”

“That doesn’t matter? If he tears you down and leaves you with nothing but ashes, where will you be then?”

“At least he will be happy.”

“How the fuck does that matter?” James raised his eyes, not used to hearing Miranda swear; Miranda rolled her eyes. “You are my priority, what happens to you, your well-being, that is what I care about. If I hear that Silver is bringing about your ruin, I will stop him, no matter what.”

James shook his head. “Then I will stop you. I will not let you hurt him.”

Miranda breathed deeply through her nose, composing herself. After taking a couple of sips of her tea she spoke again, “This probably was not the right way to start this conversation. Tell me, what are his feelings on the matter?”

Now there was the crux of it all. “I don’t know, I think I keep ruining it, but then maybe there never was something there in the first place. I just don’t know.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been avoiding him. Staying out late here rather than going home.”

Miranda stared at him in disbelief. “You are an idiot, you know that right?”

James nodded his head. At least some things never change.

“How does your relationship work?”

James grimaced. “I guess we are business partners in a way, but it all started from a lie. I told him that there was corruption in my company and I wanted him to find it.”

“But there isn’t?”

“There was… I fixed it, or well stopped the factors that would have led my business to a downfall. The people who are planning the corruption are still doing what they are doing, they just won’t be successful. They will be the ones who will fail.”

“And Silver doesn’t know this.”

“No.”

Miranda took a deep breath. “So, what is he doing?”

“He is getting involved with those planning it. I believe he is becoming a part of their plans and I don’t know if he is doing so with the intent of reporting back to me or planning on helping them go through with it. If he turns on me, I don’t know how to save him.”

“Why did you bring him in on this in the first place if you had already stopped it.”

“Because it gave him a purpose, gave him a reason to stick around and accept the position in my company.”

“Why?” Miranda asked in alarm. It did seem like a terrible plan from an outsider’s point of view.

“Because I wanted… him,” James replied weakly.

Miranda shook her head. “There are easier, better ways of getting to know someone, to being with someone, than getting them involved in a fake conspiracy. I thought I brought you up better than that.”

“Not with Silver. Silver has his own agenda; he would never let anyone get close to him in a regular way. He only looks after himself, so he needed a big opportunity for him to grab the bait.”

“So, you created this cock-shit of a story for him to get invested in so that you two can get together? How messed up is that?”

James grimaced. “I know it sounds bad, but… I really did want to verify who the people trying to destroy my company were. I wanted evidence to fire them and make sure I got them, so that was my alternative intent for bringing Silver in on this. I just forgot what he was like.”

“What do you mean?”

“He is someone who will always go after his own gain. I expected him, or made myself believe that he would stay with me throughout it all. I believed that I had created an opportunity too grand that nothing better could come along. I do not know what they have offered him, but if my suspicions are right, then it must be good. For we haven’t talked to each other and he hasn’t reported back to me, or anything. I’m scared that he views that opportunity better than the one I offered him and if so, he will turn on me and in doing so, destroy himself.”

“So, it is up to you to talk to him,” Miranda said, like it was that simple. It wasn’t, though, nothing was ever that simple.

“I know that look,” Miranda said, “why do you feel you can’t talk to him?”

“Because I have been avoiding him, not paying attention to him. If I go to him now, he will think I am just trying to sway him back to my side. He will rebel.”

“You have to do something, or you will lose him.”

James looked around, he had built all this for him, would it be all for not if Silver wasn’t there to take a part in it? No… James had still brought together all the others from Nassau, they were all a family now, but James wouldn’t ever feel at home here. His home… his heart was with the Hamiltons and Silver. If he could have neither then he doubted he could find happiness in this life.

“I have to leave in a couple of weeks, an old friend in Florence is ill and I need to visit them. You’ll have to fix this on your own,” Miranda said.

James looked up in alarm. “You’re leaving me? But I need you here.”

“Oh James, if you had listened to my advice you would have stopped dancing around and gotten together with Silver after that night I visited for dinner. None of this would be happening now, but you didn’t. You have to fix this yourself.”

James felt so lost, how could he do this if not even Miranda was there to help him. “I don’t know how.”

Miranda shook her head, looking around. “Maybe you should start by thinking into why you made this place and what you were going to do with it.”

James looked out at the backyard, at the mess that was being made. “I was going to ask you to help some of the ladies fix up the backyard. They wanted to start making a garden.”

She smiled softly, but her eyes were sad. “Of course I will help, but that is not what I meant.”

Right. Why had he built this place? To give Silver a place where he could always go to and know he would belong. And he still would, even after all of this. Even if he went on to become the next leader of this damn country, he would still be invited back here, even if he would never come.

Now, wasn’t that the answer to everything.

“I’m going to show him this,” James said slowly, “I wanted it to be done, I wanted it to be perfect, but then, we were never perfect were we? We were always a mess.”

“Okay,” said Miranda.

“Okay.”

Now he just needed to find Silver. **  
**


	26. The Reveal

James heart was battering in his chest as he approached the door to Silver’s room. He hoped, no, he prayed, that Silver would be in there, for if not? He didn’t know where he could find him. Why had he let this all get so bad?

He softly knocked on the door, waiting with bated breath.

Silence.

Cursing to himself, James turned around, not at all sure where to go next.

The door opened. “What do you want?” the voice was biting and bitter, but it was an answer, that was all James needed.

Turning back around, he tried to look as nonthreatening as possible, it was a weird mindset to say the least, normally he wanted people afraid of him. “I want you to come with me somewhere.”

+

When Silver had heard the knock on the door, he thought he had been hallucinating, but no, the sound had actually happened. The only person it could logically be was Flint, but that was impossible. Flint didn’t care about him anymore, or that was what Silver was desperately making himself to believe. It made the betrayal easier to swallow. Didn’t make the fact that Farjad, Cindy, Indu, and all those others were going to lose their jobs. That was not something he could as easily convince himself against.

Despite his wariness, he still answered the door. Flint had already turned away; Silver could pretend he hadn’t bothered, but the words tumbled out of his lips before he could stop them. “What do you want?” He winced upon hearing them. They sounded cold even to him.

“I want you to come with me somewhere.”

Now wasn’t that laughable. He wanted Silver to go with him? After all these weeks, months of ignoring each other? Why the fuck would he do that now?

“Please, then I’ll leave you alone.”

He must need him for something, Silver thought bitterly. Those were the only times he ever approached him, wasn’t it? Then he’ll leave him alone, leave him all by himself, like everyone always did in his life. God, he was pathetic.

He found himself nodding his head, “I’ll just go grab a sweater,” Silver said. Though it was summer at the moment, Silver felt like he needed a barrier against the world, against Flint.

Flint was already in the car; he was in the driver’s seat, which was weird — he had never seen Flint drive before. For a second Silver envisioned Flint taking him out to the countryside and deposing of him. He hesitated for a second, but in the end, he knew he was being ridiculous, so Silver got into the passenger’s seat. Flint shot him a strange look, but quickly looked away when Silver met his eyes.

What was his problem?

+

Silver was wearing Flint’s sweater, the one he had given him that night when Silver had come to him bloody and bruised. That had to mean something, right? He didn’t know if Silver knew he was even wearing it, but he would take this as a good sign.

They stopped in front of the building. They hadn’t had a chance to set up the front yet, so it still looked a mess, James could see Silver pause, wariness etched into his features. James had no idea what he was thinking, but he prayed that he wouldn’t bolt right away.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” James said. He felt like he needed to say that, though it hurt him that they had fallen so far that those words were needed.

Silver startled a bit, before scowling at him and yanking the door of the building open. James hurried after him, but nearly bumped into Silver who had stood frozen at the doorway. Inside, most people were working, Billy, Joji, and Muldoon were setting up bookcases. Gates, Vane and Jack were going over some charts, Anne and Eleanor were playing with Max’s hair while Max and Mr. Scott were taste testing different teas. They were all there.

“What the fuck is this?” Silver breathed.

James sort of froze, he hadn’t really thought through what he was going to say at this point. He had sort of been putting it off. That wasn’t really an option now. “It’s yours.”

“What?” Silver was looking up at him, with wide, scattered eyes. James knew he was looking for a place to bolt, so he quickly moved away from the doorway. He had promised himself that he would never trap Silver anywhere after all.

“This is all yours. It’s supposed to be a bookstore/café, but if you have any suggestions I’m certain they will comply. I’ll make them comply if they don’t,” James added, he wanted to make sure Silver knew that this was his, all of it was his.

“A bookstore…” Silver said slowly.

“And café,” James repeated, though it was probably redundant. “It’s been what I’ve been working on these past couple of months. Sorry about that, wanted it to be a surprise. Wanted it to be finished too for that matter, but I felt like you were going to be leaving soon, so I wanted to give this to you before… if you left. You can come here even if you do leave. It’s still yours.”

“It’s mine?”

“Yes.”

+

Silver didn’t know what to think, his body was shaking and nothing was making sense. How could this be his, what was going on? If Flint had really been spending all of his time here, doing all of this, then everything that Silver had been building up in his mind had been wrong. If this was true, then Flint really did care, but that was impossible, that went against what Silver had been firmly telling himself.

“Why?”

He looked over at Flint, hoping to find answers. Flint looked down at his feet, fingers playing with the sleeve of his shirt. “I know you won’t believe me, and I can understand why, but I want you to know that I really care about you and want you to have somewhere that you can go to be safe. These people,” James said, indicating his arm to everyone here, “they are sort of like you. Lost in this world and feeling alone, but they have bonded together for this common goal, and I would hope that you can do the same with them.”

Silver looked from person to person. They were all happy, they all seemed so fucking content, so at ease. It was so far away from what Silver was feeling at the moment, he could count the amount of times he had been happy on his own two hands, and most of those times, depressingly enough, had been with Flint.

“So you made all this… for me?”

Flint nodded his head.

“Ah! This must be the Silver person you were always going on about,” a man with a thin mustache and weird sideburns said, coming over. “Jack Rackham, how do you like the place? Let me tell you, it was a right mess when I first showed it to James here. Man’s a maniac, he is. Took one look and said he wanted it. Place wasn’t even suited for a rat.”

It was like the tension was draining out of his body, he could feel that he was accepted here, that he was wanted. It was a strange feeling, he hadn’t even done anything for them yet.

Then Professor Scott came up to them and Silver felt his blood run cold. This was not good, not good at all.

“So you know him? This is what all this was for?” his question is directed at Flint, but the bite is all to audible in his words.

“Yes, I don’t care what political mess he’s gotten himself into…”

Silver felt light headed. Flint knew, he fucking knew what he was doing, yet he was still giving this to him, and here Professor Scott was, judging him for what he was doing. He was right, Silver didn’t belong here.

“He is going to tear this country apart.”

“And he will always be welcome back here if he does so,” Flint roared.

That swept all notions that perhaps Flint was going to use this as a bargaining chip to change sides. He was actually giving this to him because… the only reason Silver could think of why he would do this was inconceivable. That would involve something much akin to love.

“Let’s all calm down,” this beautiful woman with a French accent said. “I’m certain there is a reason for all of this.”

But there wasn’t. There wasn’t a fucking reason. Silver was going to ruin Flint’s company, he was going to ruin everyone’s fucking lives and Flint was going to let him do it. He was going to let him tear it all apart and keep on giving more to him.

He couldn’t take this anymore, he ran.

+

It hadn’t gone as well as James had hoped for. He might have made a judgement error on Mr. Scott’s part, he should have talked to him before this, laid everything bare. Now it was falling to pieces.

Then Silver ran and James heart broke in two. “John!” he called out, he made to go after him, but a hand on his arm held him in place. It was Max.

“No, let me,” she said, and before James knew what was going on, she had slipped out the door.

James had known this was a long shot, but still, it didn’t stop the heartbreaking pain that engulfed him.


	27. From Lines of Data to Lines of a Speech

Silver managed to find a cab, but before it could take off, someone else jumped in beside him.

“Hey!” Silver said, then he recognized it to be one of the ladies who had been in that place. “What are you doing here?”

“You looked lost, so I’m here to help you,” she said simply, “I’m Max by the way.”

“Silver, and I’m sorry, but I’m not in the mood for company right now.”

“It’s the ones who are never in the mood who need company most,” Max replied cheekily, before sliding closer and wrapping her arms around his arm. He looked down at her in confusion. She just shook her head. “I already have two wonderful women in my life, besides I would never dare touch what is James’.”

“I’m not-”

“Tut tut mon cher, rest easy. I do not care who is whose. I just want to help you find the answers that you need. What is it that troubles you?”

Silver took a deep breath. He felt at ease with Max, which was something he could never really say he had felt with anyone before. It was like they were kindred spirits of a sort. “I’m going to be doing something tomorrow that will set about the motions to the end of Flint’s business. Everything that he has worked for through his entire life will be in ruins because of me.”

“And why are you doing this?”

“Because I thought Flint was ignoring me and I was looking after myself. I didn’t want to be stuck in a failing company.”

“And now you know that James wasn’t ignoring you.”

Silver nodded his head.

“Is it too late to reverse it?”

“Ye- hang on.” Silver’s mind started racing. If he knew one thing in his life, it was that nothing was inevitable. There was always a way out of a situation. “Take me to Walrus Corp,” he called out to the cab driver.

“James’ company, yes?”

Silver nodded, patting his knees anxiously. He could do this, he had to be able to do this. Didn’t James pass give him all kinds of clearance levels? He should be able to rework the system. Make it so Walrus Corp didn’t go down with all the other companies. He couldn’t back out of his own part, but he could limit the damage done to Flint.

They arrived there in record time and Silver flew out the door, Max hurrying behind him. The place was empty, thankfully, but it was a Sunday after all. Few people worked on Sundays. Except apparently Farjad, Cindy and Indu, who were all waiting for the elevator too.

“What are you three doing here?”

“Rent went up,” Farjad said sadly, “thought I would get in some extra work this weekend to make ends meet.”

“We have a big presentation tomorrow, need to work on a project, what are you doing?” Cindy asked, her eyes betrayed her distrust. He hadn’t been coming to visit them very often lately. They probably thought of him as a turn coat. They weren’t wrong.

“I need you to help me with something,” Silver burst out.

“You sure you can trust them?” Max asked, looking between the three of them.

“Of course,” Silver replied.

“Who’s she?” Indu asked, sizing her up.

“A friend, please?”

They nodded, and so Silver filled them in as they rode up in the elevator, Silver using his pass to get them to the upper levels.

“Can I do one thing before I help you?” Cindy asked.

“Sure,” said Silver.

She slapped him in the face, hard.

“Ow,” grumbled Silver, but he did deserve it.

“Can I do one thing too!” Indu asked eagerly.

“That’s enough,” Max thankfully intervened, grabbing a hold of Silver’s arm and leading him down the hall. The other three following right behind.

They went into Willow’s office and Silver started booting up the computer. It was strange, he hadn’t seen Willow in forever, too busy with his parliament stuff. He couldn’t feel any guilt over what he was doing to him though. The man was still a bastard, along with Pratt, Nestor, and Hoover.

Once he got the computer up and running, he loaded up the files on five separate disks.

“So, what do you want us to do?” Farjad asked.

“I want you to each take a time period and find all the times we helped another bank back a risky loan. Once you’ve done that, take back the money, and send them a disclaimer notice.”

“But won’t that put the others in an even more precarious state?” Farjad asked.

“Yes, but right now, I don’t care about those companies. It’s either I save this company, or we all go down. Which do you want to choose.”

“Let’s kill some companies!” Farjad said with a cheer.

Silver quickly assigned them each a season going back two years and showed them what to do, then he also got to work on his own section. It was pretty boring, tedious work once the adrenaline had run its course and soon Silver wanted to pull his hair out of his head. It was reading lines upon lines of data and numbers and other crap and trying to figure out which ones were okay to just skip and which ones needed to be deleted.

“You owe us big time,” Cindy said, an hour into it. Silver could only agree. He was frankly surprised Max was still there, even more astonishing, she was the one making the most headway.

It was well past midnight by the time they were all done, Farjad finally getting to the last of his section and throwing his tablet across the room. “Never again!”

“Guess we aren’t prepping for our presentation tomorrow,” Indu said.

“You mean today,” Cindy retorted, glaring over at Silver.

“Thank you for this, it means the world to me.”

“Well, we would be out of a job in about a year’s time if we hadn’t, so I guess we should be thanking you,” Indu acknowledged.

“Like fuck I’m thanking him,” Cindy snarked back.

“So, this is it? It’s all done, you’re free?” Max asked.

Silver shook his head. “I’m still under contract to run for candidacy. Can’t get out of that.”

“What will you do for that?” Max asked.

Silver could only shrug his shoulders. He had no fucking clue.

+

Idelle and Eme were the ones who took care of James as he suffered through his torment. The others were too emotionally constipated to even know where to begin except by getting out of his way. James felt only empty, darkness and confusion. It was his fault that he had let it all get to this point, but he would have thought that the higher powers would have granted him the right to an easier path. Yet here he was, sitting down in a corner, trying yet failing to keep his broken heart from shattering.

Mr. Scott was right, if Silver went down the path to become a corrupt politician there would not be a space for him here. The others would not be so quick to forgive as James was, and would turn their backs. This place wasn’t just for Silver. It had started out like that, but along the way it had become something more. Something for all the people of Nassau to find a home in and if Silver was doing stuff that threatened that very existence… well how could he be allowed to call this place a home?

It was hard to come to turns with all of this. Hard to make due with the fact that once again Silver was turning his back on James. This time, they hadn’t even gotten close. This time, James hadn’t even been offered the chance to grow a love… or he had, he had just ignored the signs out of fear of being wrong or fear of overstepping his place. It was hardly surprising, the path Silver chose. It was Silver’s nature.

That was another thing. James was counting on Silver’s loyalty which had actually been pretty good for a time with James’ crew. James had spread all of this with the thought in mind that Silver was in that stage where loyalty was something Silver understood and respected. He would still have his self-serving mindset, but that would only be called in when pushed to the extremes. James forgot that the Silver he was dealing with was much akin to the Silver when he first met him. All smiles and quick wit, but lacking in that desire or understanding of how to be close to someone. How to look out for someone other than your own self. James was dealing with an entirely different person than the man he fell in love with and that was part of the reason he failed.

When he distanced himself all those years ago due to Miranda’s death Silver had ingrained himself close enough to James’ side that he wanted to look deeper while James pulled away. Here? He wasn’t close enough to Silver so that when it seemed like James was pulling away, Silver couldn’t bring himself to take the necessary steps to bring James back. He didn’t have the knowledge nor the right drive to do so.

It was a curse to remember. But also it seemed, a curse to forget.

+

The ringing of his work phone woke Silver up. He had taken to bringing the blasted thing around with him ever since he started to work for Willow. That was the only device Willow, and then Pratt, ever contacted him with. It now reminded Silver of his impending doom. A shackle that held to a life of greed, corruption, and hate. Silver only wanted to be free.

He looked over at the others, lying in his office, thankfully, none of them had be roused from his blasted ring tone. Without saying goodbye, he left without a word, it was time to face his judgement.

He was just leaving the building when a voice stopped him. “Silver!”

It was Max. He turned, and watched in confusion as she made her way towards him, somehow her makeup was still on point, though her hair had seen better days. That tended to happen when one sleeps in an office. It was the knowledge that Silver was going to have to do much of that in the upcoming days that made Silver’s stomach turn.

“What are you doing?” Max asked, he was struck by the worry in her eyes. He was not used to seeing such things except for in Flint. That brought a whole bucket more of guilt to the table, so Silver quickly dismissed such thoughts.

“There is a media conference at 8am in the morning, I have to get there.”

“Media conference on what?”

“To announce my candidacy.”

“You are still going through with that?” Max voice was filled with disbelief and incomprehension. Silver wished he was jesting, but he had to, he had signed the contract, he couldn’t back down now.

Silver had to turn away before answering, his emotions getting the better of him. Tears blurred his vision and he had to use all of his effort to keep them from falling down his cheeks. “Tell James thank you, for everything that he has done. And I’m sorry, tell him that too.”

“You don’t have to go through with this.”

This wasn’t a matter in which Silver could be swayed, however. “Also tell him that…” Silver had to take several breaths to control himself lest he started wavering the words that he spoke. “tell him that I appreciate beyond measure everything that he has done for me, but I cannot accept his gift.”

Max grabbed onto Silver’s arms, trying to get Silver to make eye contact, Silver dared not turn her way. “He did this all for you. For whatever reason, he brought us into it, but that whole store, it is yours. You can’t throw that away.”

And wasn’t that the jist of it all. “Yes, he created it for me, but then as you said, he brought you all in. Talk to Mr. Scott, he will explain things. There is no place for me there after what I’m about to do.”

“Whatever it is, we’ll still accept you.”

“Max. You don’t know me. I don’t know what kinship you think we share, but we don’t. I’m a lying shit of a person, and you… I frankly don’t know anything about you except you seem to be very selfless.”

“That is the beauty of what James has built,” said Max, “none of us knew each other, yet we are all connected, we can feel it. Just as I can feel that you are connected to us. Don’t walk away from that.”

Silver gently removed Max’s hands from his arms. He had to go. “Tell James what I said,” said Silver, giving her a last regretful nod.

Alone in the cab ride with only his thoughts, he allowed himself to break down. To break down and cry over everything that he could have had. Everything that he could have wanted, yet had not known. It had all been presented to him when Flint had opened that door to that crappy little building that turned out to not be all that crappy at all. And he couldn’t have it, such was his luck, such was his life.

Silver was never supposed to have a happy ending.

As the cab arrived at the destination, Silver steeled himself, wiped away the tears, and plastered a fake, bright smile on his face. He looked like shit, but as long as he smiled like he did, few would notice.

Sure enough as he got out of the car, Pratt and Willow just clapped him on the back and gave him a run-through of what was to happen. Jaspar came up next, handing him his speech, everything perfectly written out to a tea, no details missing. He was also given a package of how to answer questions. There was no room for error.

He was a doll, being dressed up for a show and Silver had never felt so out of place. He should never be here, this was not in his nature. He never bent to anyone’s will, yet here he was doing other’s bidding. It was wrong and gross and all consuming. Silver hated every second of it.

Some random assistant came up and put a microphone on him, in case the ones on the podium didn’t work. He was the only one who seemed to notice Silver’s clothes — jeans, a t-shirt, and Flint’s sweater. Not exactly leadership material. Silver shot him a glare, however, and the man didn’t say a word. Silver would hold onto all of his cards as long as possible. For people who make sure to not miss any detail, they sure were missing a big one, and Silver would take that to his grave.

“Ready my man?” Pratt said, coming up beside him. He was practically radiating with energy, boundless energy that should have been contagious, but it wasn’t. Nothing could make Silver ready, nothing could make Silver happy. “You are about to be famous.”

Yes, famous, like that was what Silver had wanted in life. No. He wanted to be respected and free, and now he realized that he also wanted to be loved and cared for. This was the exact opposite of that.

Someone was making a speech, people were cheering, suddenly a hand was on his back and he was being pushed out onto the stage. A stage lit up with so many lights that it was hard to see, cameras seemed to be flashing, it was all a mess.

There was a sea of people out in front of Silver, most of them journalists or camera men, but there were others as well. Silver had never been one to be scared of giving speeches, he thrived on attention when it was on him, but this, this was different. He wasn’t spinning one of his own tales. He was spinning the tale of someone else and he didn’t even have a say of how it went. He was supposed to follow a script, no improvising. That wasn’t him.

There was a monitor in front of him, with the speech all written out. Silver was supposed to read that, and present it to the cameras, to the people in his most convincing manner. How could that even be possible?

Silver smiled, forcing his lips to quirk upwards in a mockery of what his actual smile looked like. He looked to the monitor, reading the first line, over and over again. All he had to do was start speaking, all he had to do was say those words and his life would take the next step forward.

All he had to do was not be himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What Silver did with the bank stuff isn't really something that one can actually do, but in the end it doesn't matter since Flint has already prevented anything bad from happening to his company (just don't tell Silver that he wasted his and his friends' time! ;))


	28. Keep Watch of Your Phone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked the ending of last chapter you'll love this ending :D

“Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen, citizens of Great Britain.” The words were like grating nails forcing their way out of his mouth, cutting at his neck, filling his mouth with thick blood, making it harder and harder to speak.

He smiled, oh how he smiled, pretending to be beaming at everyone, when really, he was internally panicking. How the hell was he supposed to do this?

“As I’m sure you all know, I’m here to…” Silver had to stop, he felt the beginnings of a panic attack start running through his system. He had never had a panic attack in his life, normally so assured of himself, normally so perfectly in charge of his chaotic control. “I’m here to announce my running for candidacy.” He forced the words out, hoping they didn’t sound as vile as they tasted.

He looked out to the crowd again, they were all waiting patiently, looking at him eagerly. A dash of red hair flashed across his vision. His heart started racing, could it be… no, the eyes were brown. At first, he was disappointed, but then he was relieved. He did not want Flint here to see him bring about both of their ruins.

Then an idea struck him, a fucking stupid, perfect idea. One that would put him at mighty risk and grave danger, but one that just might work. No scratch that, it would work.

This time the smile that graced his face was real, real and biting. These people wouldn’t know what hit them.

“I suppose I’m supposed to tell you all a bit about myself, so you can get to know me.” Chuckles rang out in the crowd. In his ear, Jasper was hissing at him to stay on script. Screw Jasper. He subtly yanked the earpiece out his ear. He would no longer be controlled by those idiots.

“First, however, I want to tell you something that will be of vital interest to many of you. This is all a set up.”

As the confused murmuring rose up in the crowd, Silver began to have second doubts. What the fuck was he doing? He was going to get  _ killed.  _ He was seconds away from calling his stupid charade off, when he saw Max. She was standing there, clutching onto her bag. Eyes wide, but there was a slight smile on her lips. It was all the support Silver needed.

“E&G are at this moment betting against the stock market. They are betting against the thousands of risky loans that the rest of the banks are currently handing out and backing each other with. They have done this purposely and have sent in moles in each bank to do so. They have selected me to run for prime minister as a puppet they can control to let such things happen. When they get away with it, which they will, the market will crash. Thousands will lose their jobs and homes and E&G will come out rich.”

People started yelling out questions, but Silver knew he didn’t have time, guards would soon come onto the stage and drag him away. “If you want further proof of the matter, contact Cindy Woo and Indu Bhide. They will be able to provide you with the necessary information. If you vote for this party, know that you are voting for a party that want to see only themselves gain power and money. They will not help the poor, they will not help the weak. They will cut down their competition and they will not care one bit for your opinions. Know this and vote wisely. I for one, am announcing my resignation as party leader and am putting my full support behind Madi Scott. I would urge you all to do the same.”

With that he quickly left the podium, weaving his way through the crowds. Behind him he could hear the guards start to chase after him, but were impeded by noisy journalists. He felt a vibration ring off in his pocket; pulling out his phone he checked the message.

_ Cindy: Thanks for giving us the extra work asshole. _

Silver smirked.

_ Love you too! Thanks <3 _

He slipped his phone back into his pocket and managed to somehow get outside, with a crowd of hungry reporters following him. Max suddenly appeared at his side and grabbed his arm, leading him to a taxi. Quickly they got in and headed off. As the car pulled away, they smiled at each other, Silver for his part was feeling giddy. He had done it, he was free.

+

James could only stare in shock at what was happening on the television in front of him. Silver had actually confessed to it all, he had actually confessed to everything, gotten rid of his chains, freed himself from that horrid group. He would never have expected that from him, especially considering the hate and criticism he was going to receive.

Behind him, Madi Scott stood up and started pacing. “Why would he support me? He has never talked to me, he had never even showed interest in what I’m trying to accomplish.”

Her mother got up and pulled her into a hug, she was also in politics, but more behind the scenes, vital in helping her daughter run her campaign. “Does it matter? He had offered you his support.”

“Yes! It does matter. He was all set yesterday to bring this country to ruin. Now… now it will still go to ruin, but he will look the saviour for bringing it to light.”

James had had enough. He got up and went over to her. “I know you are upset and I know this is not how you wanted your campaign to run. Knowing that thousands will inevitably lose their jobs is a hard task to go up against, but now you can prepare. Silver has given you that at least, so take it, use his support and the others that will come from the other banks and bring about your victory. You have all the tools now.”

She glared at him, her proudness shining through. She did not trust Silver, as was understandable, but she had gotten close to Silver back in Nassau during impossible circumstances. She could do the same here.

She glanced over at her father, who gave a slight nod of his head. That seemed to settle her, like nothing else. “You’re right,” she said, turning back to James. “I have much work to do.”

James gave a nod of his head, watching as Madi took out her phone and began making a bunch of phone calls. Herself and her mother quickly left to carry out their business.

“I misjudged your boy, I’m sorry,” Mr. Scott said.

“He’s not my boy,” was all James said, turning back to watch the news. That slimy shit of a man, Pratt was on the podium trying to dissuade the people, but the damage was already done. Many reporters were on their phones or tablets, contacting others, searching for the truth. It was madness and James couldn’t be more proud.

“Does this mean your company is ruined?” Billy asked.

“No. I took precautions long before any of this started to ensure that I would never be backstabbed like this. My company will survive, the others, however, will not. I will still, however, have to fire those vile scum, good riddance too.”

As he continued to watch the disaster unfold, James suddenly had a horrible thought come to him. “I need to find Silver.”

“Are you sure that is the best idea right now?” Gates asked. “He is probably overwhelmed with emotions at the moment and will not be able to have a proper heart to heart with you.”

James shook his head, mind going crazy. “No! They are going to go after him. You can’t just go against people like that and not expect there to be consequences.” Dammit Silver! Why couldn’t the man ever just tell James what he was planning to do. James could be there to protect him, but no, now Silver was who knows where and in danger.

“Leave it to us,” Vane said, “We’ll make sure your boy’s safe.”

Billy also stood up, “We are going with you.”

Vane looked the man up and down, sizing him up. “Have you ever been in a fight?” He asked skeptically. Vane was someone who knew that having muscle didn’t necessarily mean they had fighting experience.

Joshua laughed loudly, as he was wont to do, and got up, slapping Billy’s chest. “We are more than just a renovation company. Most of us came from the streets, fighting and scrapping our way for survival.”

James turned to Gates in surprise. He had nicely left that part out. Gates, noticing James’ eyes on him, shrugged. “Some people deserve a chance.”

“Couldn’t agree more, were you also from the streets?”

“Nah,” Gates said, “didn’t ever have much money, but I got by. Saw little Billy here on the streets one day. Poor orphan boy with barely any clothes on his back. Took him in and soon had a whole hoard of children following me around. Damn boy had friends, let me tell you. Why I started this business.”

James chuckled. It was hard to picture Billy being little, but him having friends, now that was easy to see. He had always been everyone’s favourite on the ship.

The others were now getting ready, taking out weapons from amongst their equipment that James hadn’t even known was there. He guessed he shouldn’t be so surprised.

James made to get ready as well, but Vane stopped him. “Stay here. If anything happens, he’ll never forgive us if you get hurt.”

“I can fight,” James snarled. He would not be sitting on the sidelines.

“I’m sure you can, but you will be needed afterwards, besides it won’t look good if the great James Barlow gets in a gunfight. Think of how the news will portray it considering all that’s happened.”

James deflated, Vane was right, surprisingly. He wanted to do anything he could to protect Silver, but going after him will most likely do more harm than good. Vane clapped James on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll find him, we’ll keep him safe.”

“Thank you,” James said. As he watched them go, however, he couldn’t help but feel like something was going to go horribly wrong. He could only hope that he was mistaken.

+

Max took Silver to a run-down pub; she had said she used to frequent here often for work and that no one would be able to find them there. Silver looked around with curious eyes. There were a couple of scantily clad women with middle class men running their hands all over them. Soft, jilting music was playing through the speakers and the glasses looked more dirty than clean. He realized how little he knew about Max, even though he now considered her a close friend. Funny how that worked.

He sat down heavily in a booth at the back as Max went to get them drinks. God, he didn’t know what to do next. It was an odd feeling, being adrift. He always had some sort of plan of where to go, of how to get out of places, of what path best suited him, or what he thought best suited him. His opportunities, though often risky and wild, generally had an exit strategy that he more often than not took advantage of. This opportunity did not have an exit strategy, and now that he had fashioned one out of nothing, he was lost. There was nowhere for him to go and that scared the shit out of him.

Max came back with a couple of beers, thankfully in glasses that looked decent enough. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’m simultaneously a genius and an idiot.”

She laughed, pushing his glass towards him. He gratefully took a long draught, but regretted it soon after. Instead of settling his nerves, it only made his stomach clench even more. He hated this feeling. This feeling of uncertainty, of not knowing what was going to happen. He put down the glass, beginning to twirl it in his hands, but made no more move to drink from it. Alcohol would not give him the answers he needed.

Max watched him with sharp eyes as she took tiny sips from her own drink. Seeming to be calculating Silver’s every move. “You’re lost,” she said simply, somehow being able to read him. Silver looked up in surprise, though he guessed it was pretty obvious that something wasn’t right. He should be celebrating, or doing  _ something  _ at least. Not sitting in a dingy bar, on the verge of moping. Even though only Flint could ever read him properly, Max was not someone one could easily bullshit around it seemed. It felt strangely comforting.

“It changes nothing.”

“Of course it does,” Max said, catching onto what Silver was talking about. “Those people, that party, they won’t be voted in now. E&G will pay for what they have done. You’ve managed to warn people so that they can prepare.”

“They will still lose their jobs, the rich will stay rich, the world will run the same as before.”

“You can’t change everything,” Max said, reaching out to gently rub Silver’s wrist. “Don’t beat yourself for getting involved in a situation that was outside of your control. It was better you did, or no one would even know anything and the corrupt would have gotten away with it. Besides, you saved James’ business, did you not?”

See, that was the problem, he hadn’t. “I limited some of the damage, so that Flint could technically recover, but Walrus Corp will still be in dire straights. Too many loans were loaned out, too much money has already been lost. Many will lose their jobs.”

“You did what you could,” Max insisted, but Silver couldn’t help but feel horrible. The only person he wanted at the moment was Flint. He wanted to be in their home, sitting on the couch together and just reading silently, side by side. Not even talking, just reading, letting their warm breaths be the only thing that made noise, feeling the warm heat of their bodies comfort each other.

Silver didn’t know if he could even face Flint though. Actually face him and talk, for they would have to talk first before they could go to reading books, and Silver didn’t want to talk. Silver wondered if he could even still call that place  _ their's  _ any longer. He knew Flint would still invite him into his home, but he didn’t even know if he could handle living there with everything that Silver had done.

If there was one thing Silver was certain of, it was Flint’s love for Silver. It was funny to even think of, someone being in love with Silver, especially with everything that had happened these past couple of months, but Silver didn’t doubt it for the world. James was in love with Silver. It made Silver feel warm, yet guilty, for he had betrayed that trust, that love to a point where Flint should push him away. Silver didn’t even know his own feelings for the man, which was why the talk with Flint would be all the harder.

Max was texting someone, that reminded him to check his own phone. Sure enough there was another text from Cindy, two from Indu, one from Farjad and a couple of his other co-workers. There was also a bunch of missed calls and texts from Willow, Pratt and all those other goons. Silver didn’t want to deal with any of them at the moment. He was disappointed to see that Flint hadn’t even so much as sent him a text. Perhaps he was wrong…

Dread and fear filled his gut as he stared down at his phone.  _ This was his fucking work phone. _

“We have to get out of here now,” Silver said, getting up and scanning the bar.

Max looked up in surprise. “What’s wrong?”

Silver didn’t have time, he grabbed her arm and hurried for the door, just as it banged open and a couple of men with suits and guns came storming in. Without even thinking, he pushed Max into an empty booth. “Stay here,” he hissed before running off in the other direction. He could hear the shouts of the men calling after him, along with screams from some of the other patrons.

Silver burst through the kitchen and out through the back door. He was in a back alley that only led to the busy street. He knew that more of the men would likely be hanging out in that street, but he couldn’t very well stay there. Cursing his luck, he started running. He could hear the back door burst open behind him, but he dared not look back.

Sure enough, there was a group of men hanging out at the corner of the street from where Silver entered. Thankfully, they weren’t looking his way at first, so Silver quickly turned in the opposite direction, but the shouts of their buddies alerted them in a timely fashion.

Silver blearily thought it was weird that they were attacking him in broad daylight. There were a lot of people on the streets after all, but then, they probably didn’t care all that much who else got hurt. Silver didn’t know how he was going to get out of this one.

The sound of screeching wheels alerted Silver’s attention and Silver could only stare in horror as a black car, like those from the movies, came racing after him. Fuck.

Silver raced down an alley, hoping that he could find a building to enter. He was too late.

The car slammed into him.

There was pain… madness…

Everything was red and hurting.

Silver knew he was going to die.

Black spots were blinking across his vision, better to go like this, Silver thought.

Just before he passed out he swore he saw a motorcycle race towards him with a fearsome devil sitting upon it, but that was probably just his mind playing tricks on him. Or perhaps it was the devil welcoming him to hell. Silver was too tired to care. He needed to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D


	29. Do I Want You To Wake Up?

Everything was pain, everything was torture. The lights were too bright, the noises too scattered. Nothing made sense.

_ Make it stop!  _ He wanted to scream, just make it stop. It wouldn’t though, nothing changed, everything was just the same.

He tried to move, but he  _ couldn’t,  _ he couldn’t move! Agony, pure agony… then everything was fading. Yes, was all Silver could think, yes, let the darkness come. It approached, enveloping him in a tight blanket, taking him away. Far far away.

+

James sat at the bedside, not knowing what to do. It felt like everything was falling to pieces. He cursed himself for not saying anything, cursed himself for not telling Silver that he had known what the E&G United were trying to do. Cursed himself for not trusting him, for wasn’t that the whole reason this mess had started in the first place? Trust. It was always something that James and Silver had trouble dealing with going all the way back to Nassau. How can you love someone yet still not trust them? Yet, hadn’t their whole relationship started on a lie? A lie that kept on growing and growing until they had to confront it, but for what purpose?

Here Silver lay, on the bed, machines wired to his body, leg gone. They didn’t know how long he would be out, but already it was far too long.

Fuck! Silver was whole in this life. He had two legs and the brightest smile that anyone could have, James doubted he would see that smile again, doubted Silver even would want to see him again. Yet he stayed. For where could he go? Back to a silent house where every corner he turned were reminders of Silver’s presence? No, he couldn’t do that. But was it better to stay here, in the hospital, staring at an unmoving body that could very well never move again?

The others dropped by, none of them staying more than a couple of hours. James didn’t blame them; it was depressing as fuck. Max and Muldoon usually stayed the longest, but their pitying glances hurt the most when they left. Knowing… knowing that James wouldn’t leave, couldn’t leave. It was his fault after all.

They were all lifesavers in a way, and Silver will thank them for it later on, bringing James fresh clothes and food to eat. Forcing him to take a shower every once in awhile, and bringing pillows and blankets to sleep on. The nurses thought he was insane, but he had more than enough money to bribe the hospital into letting him stay. He would not leave.

Still, they couldn’t change his mood around, not even Gates, and they were getting worried. Then Miranda came back.

She came softly into the hospital room, taking one long look at Silver before turning all of her attention onto James. At first, James barely even registered her presence, but then she knelt down beside him, taking his hands in her own. He couldn’t ignore her then.

“James… stop this.”

James couldn’t understand what Miranda was trying to say. Stop what? Sitting beside Silver’s bedside? There was no way he could do that.

“My poor darling. This isn’t your fault.”

“It is!” James hissed.

Miranda, though, shook her head. “How? I saw the papers; I saw what he did. This was outside of your control.”

James laughed, oh god how he laughed. “The papers know jack shit! My business was not near ruins. I knew all along what E&G were trying to do and put a stop to it before anything could happen. The only thing I needed Silver for was figuring out who was in charge of it in my company. Even then, I probably would have figured it out anyways. There should have been no reason for him to be put in such a situation where he thought he had to choose, yet he did, and he paid dearly for it,” he knew Miranda already knew this, but it felt better to say it, to remind everyone that he was not to be let off easily.

“He chose you though,” Miranda said.

“So?” Flint said, “he doesn’t have a leg! He’s in the hospital… he nearly died.”

“You’ve both worked through this before, you can both work through this again. I do hope that this time you are both in better mental shape to do such a thing. He went through all of that crap, was presented with so many golden carrots, yet… he still chose you even though he knew the consequences of his actions. That is something you can work with.”

James head was hurting, what Miranda was saying didn’t make sense, something was not quite fitting together.

“You need to clear your head,” Miranda pressed, “go to the place where you always go to help you clear your mind. It’ll help, I promise.”

“How do you…?”

“I’m your mother aren’t I? I know things.”

James shakes his head, still feeling a bit confused, but then he looks back over at Silver. “I can’t leave him.”

“He’ll be here when you get back.”

“But what if he wakes up?”

“It’s probably best if you are away when he does.”

James stares at Miranda incredulously. Miranda shakes her head. “Trust me. He’ll be angry and upset. I don’t want whatever relationship you two could have to be ruined over such a thing as a few misspoken words in a bad time. Let him rage, let him weep, then come back in and fix the broken pieces.”

Miranda’s words made sense, and James could see the benefits of visiting Thomas. He hadn’t gone in awhile, and now was probably the best time to do so. With a nod, he got up, reaching for his coat. It was time to pay a visit.

+

It was too bright; why wouldn’t the fucking lights turn off? Who the fuck had left them on? No one was allowed in his room, what the fuck?

He tried to move his arms, tried to flail around, but found he could not. His body was heavy, he was motionless,  _ he couldn’t move.  _ Panic spread throughout him. What was wrong with him?

With a gasp, he yanked his eyes open. It was an instant mistake. Pain seared his skull, sending yellow and red dots rushing through his vision. He quickly shut them, but the dots remained, along with the pain, taunting him, laughing at him.

He tried to move again, this time he could feel his arms move. The relief was nearly palatable, but still it was hard. It was as if his body was protesting, not wanting to be forced to movement. He still didn’t know where he was.

He then tried to move his legs. His right leg, his right toes, seemed to be moving just fine, or well as fine as his arms which wasn’t saying much, but it was something. His left leg, however, was not moving at all. No matter how much brain energy he sent its way, he could not move it.

It was then that the memories started trickling back to him. The media release, the men, Max… he yanked his eyes open, not caring for the pain, forcing himself to sit up and see. He must have ordered his body into a bout of adrenaline because he doubted he could have moved otherwise. He would wish he hadn’t done so.

Where his left leg should be was empty space. Blankness, nothing.

Silver started to scream.


	30. Wise Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: mentions of child abuse

James sat at a park bench, well away from where their tree was, just watching it from the distance. People would think him stupid for avoiding approaching a tree, saying it was just a tree, there was nothing to it, but there was, oh how there was.

The sun was well on its way down before James got the nerve to slowly approach, taking tender steps. He forced himself to breath slowly, lest he start heaving in sharp gasps. As he stepped into the little area that he considered Thomas’, he instantly felt a sense of relief, welcoming him in.

It put to ease his worries and he felt a bit silly for worrying that he wouldn’t be accepted. Thomas would never be so cruel. He knelt down underneath the tree, reaching out his hands to run them gently over the bark. Just feeling the ridges and bumps, marveling at the slight hum of energy that seemed to coarse over his fingers.

He opened his mouth to speak, but found that now was not the time for words. Instead, he knelt down, leaning his forehead against the tree, soaking in its energy, its love. He stayed like that for many hours, just leaning against the tree in a silent conversation that later James would not remember. For now, all James needed was the fresh hope that started to creep up in him, rejuvenating him in a way that few would ever understand.

Weariness hit his bones and he had to lie down, curling himself into a little ball and letting sleep take him. As he slept his hand remained firmly attached to a root, connecting him to his purpose. In return, the tree gave cover and protection over James, letting him be guided through sweet dreams and gentle whisperings as they slowly traversed the night.

+

Well he had lost his fucking leg, and for what? A messed-up city that was scrambling on its hands and knees, trying to sort through what Silver had revealed to them. Thankfully, Cindy and Indu had proven worthy and provided the right data for all the reporters in need. That just made the chaos worse, however, with the other banks floundering for air and pulling back from stocks. It seemed the truth had made idiots of them all.

At least E&G were fucking done for. Their stockholders pulling out thick and fast, the corporate board at each other’s throats. Silver’s old ‘friends’ were also in dire straights. Not that Silver fucking cared, though, he did wonder why Pratt, Willow, Hoover, and Nestor were not yet fired. Seemed like the whole of Walrus Corp was on a tether hook, not certain what to do. Farjad came by often enough to give notice of the chaos that was taking place due to the confusion of the upperlings. Cindy and Indu visited as well, though they were often engaged with the media. A task that they were still none too thrilled about.

Thing was, why the fuck wasn’t Flint doing anything about it? Where the fuck was he for that matter? Silver was torn beyond reason that he hadn’t stopped by since Silver had woken up. He shouldn’t have expected Flint to do so, but he would have at least appreciated a text, even just to say he was fired.

No one who dropped by said anything, though he caught Gates and Max sharing troubling looks from time to time whenever the conversation headed down Flint territory. That was one good thing that came out of this whole mess. His leg may be fucking killing him and he had no opportunities to speak of, but at least he now had some semblance of friends. And good ones too.

Silver found out that Vane, Anne, and Gates’ boys, though not Gates himself, had been the one to save Silver. After the car had slammed into Silver, which was the reason he now was minus a limb, the mob or whoever the fuck they were had gone around to kill him. Vane was the one who had driven up on his motorcycle and put himself up as a barrier between those men and Silver. Then the rest of the gang had arrived and caused further trouble for the men. It was obvious that they had wanted a quick kill, then to disappear back into the dust, but that was not going to happen while Silver’s new friends were there.

Along with the commotion at the bar and Max’s phone call, the police, fire department, and ambulance had quickly arrived at the scene. Some of the men were arrested, others had escaped, but it was doubtful that they would go after Silver anymore. However, the damage had already been done. Silver’s leg had been thoroughly crushed from the car and there was no saving it. Not even Dr. Howell could do anything for it.

Silver didn’t know how he was going to survive in a world minus a limb. They said it was easier now — they could get him a prosthetic, he would be given therapy, he would get support, but really, that would all cost money. Though Silver now had a good amount stored up from working at Walrus Corp this past half of a year, he now didn’t have a source of income. That money will soon run out, and where would he be then?

He pushed away those thoughts for now and focused on what he did have, or what he was creating. Friendship, with all those who were at the bookstore that day. Madi had even dropped by and expressed her gratitude in what Silver had done, along with her regrets. Silver found himself to quite admire the strong woman and hoped she would be able to succeed in what she was putting forward.

It was Max and Muldoon who he grew the closest to, however. Max felt like a kindred spirit, and seemed to always know what was on Silver’s mind and how to ease it, or at least attempt to do so. Some things were even beyond her understanding and Silver didn’t feel like sharing. Muldoon was an odd sort. He was rough and crass, though had a sweet heart and Silver couldn’t help but grow fond of the man.

None of that filled the aching pain in his chest that was Flint though. He tossed and turned in on himself for those three days since he had woken up, trying to sort through what was going on, but with no sign of the man, he was, unfortunately, falling into a funk.

On the fourth day, Miranda came to visit.

Despite having traded numbers, they hadn’t really maintained contact since that dinner all those months ago. Silver had his work and other issues that had cropped up and Miranda, well she had her own life to pursue.

Seeing her now, Silver didn’t know what to think. Would she be angry at him? Disappointed? Hurt?

Instead, she merely smiled one of those warm smiles and came to sit down at the chair beside Silver’s bed, grabbing onto Silver’s hand.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like shit,” replied Silver truthfully. He was on pain medicine, and still he could feel the throbbing in his left stump. Worse was when he felt the phantom of his old leg, but when he tried to move it only agony followed in its wake.

A look of sadness passed over her features, but thankfully she managed to hide her pity. Even though many of his new friends had done wonders for him, they sometimes looked at his leg, and grimaced. Silver could feel the pity in their stares, feel how it crawled upon his skin and gave horrors to his dreams, but there was naught he could do about it. Miranda only showed sorrow.

“What made you change your mind?” she inquired. She was the first to ask him that — the others were attempting to avoid the topic like the plague. It would make sense for her to bring it up. Flint was her son in all but blood. She loved him deeply and would stop at nothing to protect him. She would want to know Silver’s objectives behind the matter.

“He showed me the bookstore,” was all Silver said. He assumed that Flint had told Miranda about it, and judging by her face, he had assumed correctly.

“And that changed your mind, just like that?”

Silver would have laughed at the thought if he was in the mood, instead his thoughts only darkened. “No, what changed my mind was what I thought I saw in his eyes.”

“And what did you see?”

Silver could not answer that question, not when it stuck so sickenly in this throat. It was an answer that he doubted was real now in light of actions. “Does not matter.”

“Oh, but I think it does,” she paused though, searching his eyes. Silver hated being read so easily by someone who for all he knows, bears ill will towards him. “But let’s not talk of such things for now. Why are you upset?”

Silver scoffs. “I am missing a leg if you hadn’t noticed. Would you be in bright spirits if you were in my place?”

The look on Miranda’s face was one of held in amusement. Silver felt like he was missing something here. It was not a feeling he was used to, nor was it one he was comfortable with. “You have bounced back from many hardships in your life with a smile on your face, pretending that all is right in the world when it is not. Yet here you no longer pretend. Why not?”

“Perhaps it is because this hardship is more visible. People would understand why I’m feeling upset. They wouldn’t want to lose a leg either.”

“That’s true, but I’m sure if they were to find out about the abuse you suffered as a child they would maintain the same sentiments towards you, like with your leg.”

Silver froze. “How the fuck did you…?” it feels like a betrayal of the highest regards, yet who betrayed him he knew not.

“I can be worse than James when it comes to protecting the ones I love. I had to find out about you, especially considering the previous day’s events. I read your foster care notes.”

Silver closed off and an ugly hatred rose up inside of him. “Tell me,” he hissed, “did you look up my foster care notes before or after the media release?”

“Before,” admitted Miranda, and Silver could feel the fury rising inside of him. False words and pretty sayings were all that she had presented to him at the dinner table that night after all. “But after James had come to me with his concerns surrounding you.”

That brought Silver to a pause. “When was this?” he asked before he could stop himself. He was curious to know when Flint started having his doubts, for he was the one away more often than Silver was. It hardly seemed like Flint even knew what Silver was doing half the time.

“It was a week prior to all this shit going down. He told me that you were seen at Westminster Palace with some corrupt politicians. Madi Scott had seen you there and reported so to her father, who in turn told James. He came to me for help on the matter.”

Word did travel fast it seemed, still Silver was not amused. “So I was working for the wrong people, how does that give you right to look into my history? Into a history that was supposed to be confidential, a history that was supposed to be buried in the ground.”

“I would like to understand my enemy fully before going into battle against him. James would have let you run him over if that had been an option that was coming to pass. He would, he still would, let you use him as you please and bring about his ruin. He cares naught for himself. I, on the other hand, hold him in my highest regard, so if he is going to let himself go to ruin over you, I will stand in your way and stop you. No matter what.”

“Such is the love of a mother,” Silver murmured.

Miranda just angled her head and smirked. Silver found himself developing a newfound respect in the woman. She was fierce and capable. Someone not to mess with. Though he still did not forgive her for what she had done, he could understand why and commend her for doing so. If he had the power, and the need, he would have done the same.

Miranda reached out to grab Silver’s hand again. “Anyways, the point of me having brought up your past was not to cause such rifts between us but to bear a point. Your councillors that you went to all reported you being a cheery boy, even though they knew what you had gone through. They reported themselves surprised by how well you were handling the situation; that you were showing no permanent marks from the happenings. Yet, I do not believe that to be true.”

“Oh really?” Silver could feel that she was getting close to a vital truth. One that Silver didn’t want to explore, he couldn’t, however, stop her.

“You just, even at such a young age, were able to hide it all behind a false mask. One which you have worn every day of your life. Yet you don’t now, though you could easily do so. So I ask again, why are you upset now?”

Silver wanted to protest, wanted to put back up his barriers that Miranda was talking about, but he found he could not, at least not at the moment. Against his will, he felt tears threatening to spill and desperately he pushed them back, but to no avail. One slipped out, slowly falling down his cheek. “I would look to your son to answer that question.”

Miranda drew a deep breath. She seemed morose now, but instead of replying she just patted his hand twice and got up to depart. Silver felt betrayed by such an action.

“James will come to visit you soon enough and I’m sure you’ll sort it out.”

Silver turned away, he felt used and thrown away. He had given the answers to Miranda as best as he could and received nothing in return. It was like how his life had always been. Then, a thought came to his mind, and before Miranda could make leave, he stopped her. “If that had been an option that was coming to pass.”

“Pardon?”

“You said, if that had been an option that was coming to pass. That means that you believed that Flint actually stood no danger from me. Why do you say that? His company has fallen has it not?”

Miranda turned back, a frown marring her forehead. “You do not know?”

“Know what?”

“You mean to say he didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?” Silver demanded, patience growing thin.

Miranda seemed utterly shocked, something that Silver doubted happened very often. She came back over and hovered over him, eyes sharp and hawk-like. “You think that Walrus Corp is heading towards economic disaster.”

“Well how could it not be? After all that Willow and them did? I tried to limit the damage by pulling back on the backings we did to the other companies, but that would only limit a bit of the disaster that is coming. It will all be for naught if he continues to be absent from what I hear.”

To Silver’s utmost surprise, Miranda laughed, and it was not one of the mocking sorts, and leaned down to plant a kiss on Silver’s forehead. “Oh you sweet, sweet thing. You sweet, sweet bird.” She then pulled back, eyes alight. “Oh dear. James is going to get his ass handed to him now, won’t he? Do try and be kind to him? He only did what he thought was best.”

Now Silver was really confused. What on earth was she going on about? She let on no more answers, just gave him a bright knowing smile and swept out of the room, leaving only the scent of her perfume as witness of her presence.

+

James woke up to as the first rays hit his face. He was a bit cold and sore from sleeping on the unforgiving ground, but had otherwise suffered no hardship. He also felt strangely refreshed, an odd feeling for having slept outdoors for the night. He knew who to thank for it.

“Thank you.”

He only got the slight rustling of leaves in response. Perhaps Thomas did not feel like speaking to him today, or at least, his mind wasn’t coming up with Thomas’ likeness at the moment.

Today, however, he found he could speak, so he sat back against the tree and opened up. Told the whole story. “I’ve made a right mess of things, haven’t I?” he said when he had finished.

The tree seemed to hum in response.

“Will he want to stay? After everything?”

There was no response. Made sense, how should Thomas know, he had not ever met the man.

“What would you do in my situation?” he asked instead, hoping this time an answer would come to him.

_ Talk to him. _

That was not the answer he wanted to hear. Yes, he needed to talk to him, that much was clear, but that didn’t offer much help.

_ I want to meet him. _

That stopped James short. Bring Silver here? But that wasn’t possible, that would mean letting Silver in on a secret that was too dangerous for him to hear. Even if he did tell him and attempted to bring him here, it would most likely cause more harm than good. “I can’t do that. Are you forgetting why I come here? Our relationship is already in the balance, if not by now torn to pieces.”

_ Not now, but after. After you have sorted things out. You’ll see. When the time is right, bring him to see me. _

James was more confused than ever, and he felt Thomas’ presence leaving him. He knew he would not get anymore answers out of the tree, or his conscience, or whatever the fuck it was. The answers he did get were hardly anything of repute. Talk to Silver and bring Silver to pay Thomas a visit. Fucking hell.

He did feel a bit more relaxed though, and he knew the tree was the reason for it. It wasn’t a wasted visit, it could never be a wasted visit. With a respectful nod of his head towards the tree, he left the park. He needed to get back to Silver.


	31. The Ugly Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! Hopefully the new year will bring faster updates :)

“What about playing hop scotch? I could probably make a great hop scotch champion,” Silver said. He, Billy, Muldoon, and Joshua were all sitting around his bed discussing potential career opportunities for Silver. It had started out seriously, but now it was quickly turning into a run of outrageous suggestions and overused jokes. It did help ease the mind though.

“I’m sure you’ll be great at that,” Billy said dryly. He was the most serious of them all and seemed to merely tolerate Silver’s presence for whatever reason. Silver knew that deep down, though, Billy was a big softy and would protect him to his last breath, even if doing so grudgingly. It was important to have friends like Billy, Silver thought, they were the ones least likely to stab you in the back.

“No, but just imagine! They’ll call me Long John Silver.” The others burst into laughter while Silver beamed at them, pleased with his little joke.

A knocking on the door broke through their chatter. Turning to the source, the laughter immediately died down, leaving an uncomfortable silence in its wake. Flint was standing at the door, wearing rumpled clothing and just generally looking like a mess. He was fumbling with his sleeve and didn’t seem to know what he was doing with himself.

Muldoon was the first to stand, taking an almost protective stance between Flint and Silver. “Do you want him to leave?” Muldoon asked Silver, staring daggers at Flint. Silver knew Flint could take Muldoon out without even batting an eye, but it was a nice gesture all the same.

Silver turned his eyes to Flint curiously, wondering what he was going to do, though making sure to keep his face blank lest his real emotions show through.

“I… I’m sorry, I’ll come back another time,” Flint said.

Silver knew if he let Flint leave now he might never gather up the courage to talk to him again. He needed to get this over with. “No, stay.”

Flint turned back around in surprise, but made no move to enter, moving his eyes to the other inhabitants. Silver smirked, they were already so protective over him when it was Flint who had brought them together. The irony of it all.

“Could you guys give us a moment?”

The others turned disbelieving glances over to Silver, but one look from him and they quickly dispersed. Silver turned to Flint, expecting to see him look surprised or perhaps warry, instead he saw admiration and if he was not mistaken, pride. What Flint had to be proud of was outside of Silver’s knowledge.

“So,” said Silver when the silence got too suffocating. It fell against the air when Silver found he didn’t have anything else to follow it up with. He needed Flint to be the one to guide the conversation, needing to know where they stand.

“How is your leg?” Flint asked and Silver felt a tinge of annoyance. If he had been so concerned perhaps he should have paid a visit sooner.

“Fine,” he replies, trying to keep his voice even. He hoped that they could at least keep a marginality of civility amongst them. If that were at all possible.

Flint pauses, then slowly steps into the room, taking careful steps as if even his feet across the floor could cause disastrous consequences. Silver blamed him entirely for the awkward air that resided over them. Why couldn’t Flint just get on with it? What was he here for? To yell at him? To get mad at him? Why?

Flint still remained silent, sitting down heavily upon the chair closest to Silver’s bed. Silver wished he wouldn’t sit so near, it made his heart beat a touch too fast and his emotions turn into a mess. He seemed to be thinking things over carefully, but Silver couldn’t figure out what could be so hard to say. Shouldn’t he have made up his speech before he entered? It was what Silver would do.

“I’m sorry,” was what he finally came up with. Silver was confused.

“Sorry for what? For not visiting?” That was the only thing Silver could think of.

“No, for your leg.”

Silver swallowed the vile feeling in his mouth. Of course, Flint would be just like all the others, pitying Silver when he didn’t want their pity. He had hoped that Flint would be different, that he would look past that and see that he didn’t want to be viewed as weak or as an invalid, but no such luck. “It’s not your fault,” he spited out, not able to keep the bitterness from his voice.

“But it is,” Flint said.

Silver looked over at Flint, trying to detect the lie. His face was nothing but sincerity however. “How the fuck did you wrap your brain around to believe that this was all your fault?”

That actually brought a smile to Flint’s face, and curse Silver’s very existence, the sight brought butterflies to flutter in his stomach. How the man still had such an effect on Silver, he would never know. The smile quickly turned into a frown, however, and Silver did not like that expression very much at all.

“I brought you in on all of this,” Flint said, and wasn’t that the truth, but then Silver was the one who had decided to take things too far. If he had gone back and reported to Flint, he might not have been in this situation.

“I made my choices.”

“But you didn’t have to, you shouldn’t have had to. I should have told you the truth and you would have never ended up here.”

Now this was something new, “what do you mean?”

Flint took a deep breath, then looked up, capturing his green eyes with Silver’s blues. They were wild and full of deep emotion and Silver found himself captured by their depths. “I mean I knew. I knew exactly what was happening in my company. I knew exactly what those bastards were doing and I stopped them from doing it long before you joined my company.”

The words hit Silver like a sledge hammer, their meaning crushing his very existence. “And you didn’t…  _ think  _ to tell me?” His voice raised in anger, but he didn’t care. Flint had lied to him, lopped him along like a little pet only with the intention of dragging him through the dirt when all was said and done.

Flint closed his eyes, his face seemed pained, but Silver didn’t care — the bastard had lied to him!

“I’m sorry, I wanted you to work for my company, and the only way…”

“The only way was for you to spread lies and tricks. False tails to get me to follow you.”

“They weren’t lies,” Flint protested, “there was just no danger for my company to fall. Willow, Pratt… they all were doing their work thinking it was working.”

“Why the fuck didn’t you just fire them and have it be over with?”

“Because it was better to have them under my roof so I could keep an eye on what they were doing instead of drawing suspicion and having it so that another plan that I couldn’t stop take its place.”

“So you didn’t need me at all?”

“Well no, I wasn’t entirely certain who was all involved, so that part was true. I was hoping you would report that to me when you found out… I never expected you to get involved with them.”

“How could you not?” Silver asked, outraged. “They thought they had made the demise of your company unbreakable. Why wouldn’t I join them?”

“Because I was hoping you were better than that.”

“Oh don’t give me that shit! I’m in finance, no one is better than that.”

“YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE!” Flint roared, and didn’t that shut them all up.

Silver recalled Flint’s word, all those months ago, telling him he could be that one in a million. That one that went through the system and came out on top without ever dwelling in corruption or just following the status quo. He felt guilt upon the recollection, but also ire. It was unfair of Flint to put such expectations on him. He was just a man in his twenties trying to find a place in the world, barely out of school. How the fuck was he supposed to become this great role model of sorts? He could barely even take care of himself. Added to that, why did everyone think he could? Mr. Scott, Flint, all those other professors who bragged about him, they all thought he was supposed to go places, granted with different ideas of what those places were. Yet here he is, minus a leg, and minus opportunities all because someone told him that he could be that one in a million and he let that go to his head.

“Get out,” Silver hissed. If he knew one thing, it was that he no longer wanted to deal with Flint anymore. That man had messed with his emotions for far too long and he was having none of it.

Flint flinched back, as if not expecting that to be Silver’s response. Why wouldn’t it be though? How else could Silver have responded?

“Silver…”

“OUT!”

Flint quickly left the room upon Silver’s roar, leaving only Silver to his cold dead thoughts, to his agonising pain. Silver wanted to scream, he wanted to rage, instead only broken wracked heaves were able to leave his body. Shaking him to the very core and leaving nothing but ashes in its place. He was broken, he was ruined and the one fucking thing that he had been holding on to was a fucking lie. There was no company to save, there was no heroic action on Silver’s part that could be given as a gift, no, it was just Silver being used once again. Being played with like a toy.

To think, he had tried to get away from all of that, thought he  _ was _ getting away, but once again, it proved false. It proved to be a cleverly woven lie.

Silver wished that those drunken men had killed him on that cold dark night before all of this mess had started. It would have been a blessing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry :(


	32. Let's Put You Back Together Again

Nothing could even begin to cheer Silver up now. It was like he was lost to this pain, to this hurt and nothing made sense. Nothing would ever make sense. Max tried to whisper words of comfort… they fell to deaf ears. Muldoon and Logan tried to rouse up spirits through jokes and games… they fell flat. Gates tried to makes Silver see reason… that was a disaster and Gates hadn’t come visiting again. Silver didn’t care, he knew Gates was in Flint’s pocket and hated him all the more for it, if not also feeling a sliver of jealousy that he would never admit to.

Vane, Anne and Jack offered to beat Flint up for him, but Silver only shook his head. Hurting Flint would not change anything, in fact, it would only make things worse. Silver hated himself for it, but he still wanted Flint, still wanted him to hold him and tell him that he cared for him, but he would never bring himself to admit it. It was an impossibility in and of itself.

Miranda came to visit him again, and Silver was none too pleased to see her face. He didn’t want her soft words when he knew she was always going to take the side of Flint.

“Shouldn’t you have a son to be taking care of?” he asked, not bothering to hide the distaste from his tone.

Miranda tutted gently and sat down on Silver’s bed, only adding to the annoyance Silver felt for her. She paid no mind to it, though he did not doubt she saw his displeasure. “You know now,” she said simply.

Silver rolled his eyes, turning his head away. “And you thought the only fucking reason I turned against those assholes was because I knew Flint’s company was safe. I now know what you see of me, so kindly get the fuck out of my sight before I start screaming.”

“I know your kind,” Miranda said, not budging an inch. “They only think for themselves and not the ruin they can bring to others. Why would I think you would act any different? You had given me no reason to think otherwise.”

“Yet you made assumptions instead of going to me and just asking like a considerate adult.”

Miranda seemed a bit put off by that, if her face was any indication. “Is that what you’re hurt about? The fact that I made an assumption based on reasonable evidence?”

Silver had had enough. He was through with being attacked at all angles. “Get out.”

Miranda had the actual gall to smirk. “Those words may work on James, but you won’t be getting rid of me that easily. I will clean out this mess and I would appreciate it dearly if you would so kind as to comply.”

“Like fuck I will,” Silver hissed. “Perhaps you should heed your son’s actions. For once he does something reasonable.”

“My son is moping around his home heartsick over your sorry excuse of a being. His actions are the farthest thing from reasonable at the moment.”

This gave Silver pause. Flint, heartsick? Such an image did not compute with Silver, it made no sense. Flint was always so detached, so put together… except for the times Silver raised emotion out of him, but heartsick was not an emotion that one would describe Flint with.

Either way, it didn’t matter. Silver was done with Flint, who cared if Flint was having heart problems, Silver certainly didn’t. “Well that’s great, but I have other things to attend to, so could you please get the fuck out of my room.”

“Who paid for this room?” Miranda hissed, suddenly becoming dark. Silver had never seen this side of her before and he had to admit he was kind of wary. “You have all the comforts that this hospital can provide for you. Why do you think that is? And let me bring you in on a clue, it sure as hell isn’t because of the hospital’s great generosity.”

Silver had never really thought about why he was in a private room before. He had just assumed that his injury granted that right, upon hearing it to be otherwise, it did not sit well with him. “Fine. I’ll ask to be moved today. Happy?”

Miranda shook her head. “No, because then James will pay more to ensure that you have a room with someone who is nice and non-intrusive and would lend you all the comforts that a private room could offer.”

“I don’t want him to!” Silver protested. He didn’t want any of Flint’s help again, not if he could help it.

“Well what do you expect from a man who is so desperately in love with you that he cannot see reason?”

Silver’s mouth dropped open. “He’s not in love with me.”

Miranda laughed in disbelief. “Not in love with you? Oh, and why would you say that?”

“Nobody who loves another would willingly set them up for failure.”

“Is that what you think he did?”

Silver nodded his head, staring resolutely down at his hands. There were tears starting to form in his eyes and he did not want Miranda to bear witness to them, though knowing her, she already knew why he wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“Then you are an idiot,” Miranda said. “Tell me, why does someone just randomly build a whole bookstore and café, and assemble together a bunch of people in a makeshift family for someone else in the intention of giving it to them as a gift if not for love?”

Silver was forced to remember back to just last week when Flint had lead Silver up to that run-down building. He could recall the nervousness that seemed to be leaking off of Flint, the unsureness. Silver had not been pleased to be dragged out to the middle of nowhere, but upon seeing what Flint had done, and seeing the look in his eyes, everything had changed. His world had been shifted underneath his feet and he had been lost. He grudgingly could recall the look of love in Flint’s eyes. The look of love and hope that Silver had thought himself not worthy of. He had pushed that memory to the side in light of recent events and information, but now it all came back to him.

Could it be that Flint really loved him? Silver wasn’t sure.

“Why did he do what he did then?” Silver asked.

“Because he is a man who doesn’t know how to deal with his heart. Especially around you.”

They stayed in silence for several moments. Letting the seconds tick by as Miranda’s words sunk in. “I would advise you talk to him, at least once more. For both your sakes,” she said. Then she quickly got up and left. Leaving Silver to heavy thoughts and even more questions. Questions that he couldn’t even begin to answer.

+

James was adrift, lost at a sea too vast for him to even begin to navigate. Trying, trying, trying… for what? He did not know. It was all over, he had failed. He wasn’t surprised, for wasn’t that his fate? To fail, continuously, over and over again, only given false hints of victory to stave him off from true despair. To only make the hurt more heartbreaking in the end.

All for love. He did everything for love, yet it taunted him so. Played with his head, with his heart. Dangled it out in front of him like a nice golden carrot, only to be yanked back and turned into a whip. A harsh whip that left the marks deep into his skin, forever scarring, never healing.

He stared at his tea, peppermint. He never much liked the flavour. Too harsh for his taste, always preferring a nice English breakfast or Earl Grey. Peppermint was for when you were sick or you felt a sore throat coming along. James supposed that he was sick, of the evilest of sorts, sickness of a broken heart that was only from his own doing.

Miranda came by to visit often, making him meals, cleaning his house. If felt weird, to have someone take care of him again, so used to his independence. So used to relying on only himself, even when others offered their help. He couldn’t force her away though. He didn’t have the strength, didn’t have the will.

One day she came back later than usual, seeming more quiet than her normal usual humming self. Her thoughts seemed to be troubled and she wouldn’t look James in the eye. James wanted to ask her what was the matter, but the words stuck in his throat. He was ashamed to admit, but he was scared. He had enough turmoil to deal with at this instant and he couldn’t bear the thought of more been added to it. If something was wrong with Miranda, he didn’t know how he could even begin to cope. So, he stayed silent, hoping it would go away, choosing to ignore it.

He should have known better. Miranda, as always, could read what was going through James’ head; knowing that he was avoiding her, like she was avoiding telling him. She also knew that James was stubborn and would not inquire about her troubles once he made his mind up not too. She normally would have felt hurt to his seeming disinterest in her affairs, but she understood why he didn’t want to delve into them this time, so she could forgive. She could not, however, let the matter stand.

“I visited Silver today.”

Four words, four words were all it took to be his undoing. She had visited Silver, went to see him in the hospital when James himself could not do so. It felt like a betrayal, of the most serious kind, yet… he was also grateful in a way. Perhaps she could provide Silver comforts that he himself could no longer provide. Knowing Silver, he would reject such things, and more likely than not, reject her company as well. Still, he needed to know what happened, despite the fact that she seemed quite troubled by the events.

“Why?”

Miranda let out an exasperated laugh. “Because of you! Because you have been moping around this house, heartsick and I wanted to knock some sense into the boy.”

James gritted his teeth, if that was her intent, then she had most likely caused more harm than good. “Judging by your mood, you failed drastically.”

“I wouldn’t say I failed,” Miranda argued, “more just left confused.”

“Confused?” Miranda was seldom confused, and for her to admit it was a rare occurrence.

“Yes, confused. He doubts your love, yet wishes it were real.”

Such words had never brought more hope in James. Could it be true? That Silver wanted James’ love? For if so, James would stop at nothing to prove his feelings and lay them bare for all to see. The next words stopped him short, however.

“He wants you to stop meddling in everything. Hell, he wanted to be taken out of a private room because he learned you paid for it.”

“You told him?” James hissed.

“He was being an idiot, of course I told him.”

“You’ve ruined-”

“Oh stop it! I have not ruined anything. In fact I am pretty sure I fixed a lot of matters that you and your pig headedness refused to handle.”

“Then why the long face?”

“Because I can’t read him.”

Understanding washed over James and he couldn’t help the little chuckle that escaped him. Of course that would be it. Miranda loved watching people, figuring them out, much like Silver did, and prided herself on being able to detail a person she had only just met. She wasn’t as cutting as Silver, nor would she use what she learned to a higher gain (unless of course her loved ones were threatened) but she used that knowledge to form connections. It would make sense that the one person she couldn’t read was the one who did the same as she did, but in a much more brutal fashion.

She was upset because Silver didn’t fit into any cookie cutter shaped caricature and as far as she could tell, his intentions were unclear. He constantly shifted and turned, and what he decided to do was often the outcome least expected, even for him. James could understand her annoyance, for after all, he had to deal with such sentiment for many years aboard his ship.

“What don’t you understand about him?”

“Whether he loves you or not.”

James mood instantly darkened. Of course Silver didn’t love him, how could he? He was the man that had ruined his entire career, lost him a leg, put him through all this mess. An idiot could figure out that Silver was in no means in love with James. “I can assure you, he does not.”

Miranda, however, shook her head. “No, see I don’t believe that to be entirely the case.”

“Miranda, stop it.”

“Just-”

“Don’t do this,” James said brokenly. He did not have the strength for hope. Not in this, never in this, not again. He had to accept that Silver was gone from him and he would never return.

“Oh James,” Miranda said, “if you would just listen-”

The beeping of James’ phone stopped them both short. James glared at Miranda for trying to mess with him before turning around, to open up the text. He then paused, almost as if in déjà vu. This was his private phone, the one only Miranda called, and she was right here.

That meant…

The text was from Silver.

James stared at the name, trying to will himself to open it, afraid of what he would see. He was half hoping that it would just be a text that hadn’t been sent from those months when they texted regularly. Back and forth about stupid things, teasing each other, sending jokes, cool facts, tidbits about their days.

Before he could change his mind, he opened up the damn thing.

_ Come see me. _

James had never left his house faster. He barely even said goodbye to Miranda, who called after him, asking where he was going. He didn’t have time. Silver wanted to see him.

He objectively wondered at the back of his mind how Silver had managed to get a hold of his cell phone, but pushed such thoughts to the side. He had probably bribed Max or Billy or one of those people. He wouldn’t put it past him, though why he still insisted on keeping such an ancient device, James would never know.

James all but ran through the halls, but when he approached the room he slowed down, doubt starting to creep up again. Would Silver really be interested in seeing him? What if this was a mistake? What if Silver hadn’t actually been the one to send the message? These thoughts ran through James’ mind as he stopped in front of the door, heart racing.

Peering inside, he noted that the room was empty, save for Silver, who was sitting in his bed, flipping his old phone in his hands. He seemed pensive, and kept checking it, as if wishing for a message. James realized that he had not replied to the one Silver had sent him, he felt like an idiot.

It couldn’t be helped now. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the room, it was time he faced his judgement. 


	33. Hospital Visit

“You asked me to come?” James asked, the uncertainty in his voice plain for all to hear.

Silver looked up, startled, a flash of relief crossing his face as he took note of who it was, though, his face quickly turned impassive once again. With a jerk of his head, he indicated that James take a seat.

Awkwardly, James sat down and the silence clung to the air, embedding itself into the cracks and clinging to the walls. James hated it. He hated it with all of his being, yet he couldn’t find the right way to break such a silence. Not in a way that was proper for this situation any how.

“Why?”

Such a loaded word to break muteness. A word that held many different pathways, asked for many different meanings. James didn’t know what was the purpose for that question, nor where to start his answer. He looked questioningly over at Silver, who seemed frustrated by James apparent lack of understanding. James may have his fair share of skills when it came to reading people, but he was no precognition. He would need better guidance than what Silver was offering.

Struggling to find words, Silver stared down at his clenched fists. James wished he could help Silver find what he needed. He did not want to be a nuisance, an annoyance, but in this case, he did not want to say the wrong thing, more harm than good came out of speaking without knowing what was needed to be said.

“Why did you hire me in the false guise of that job?” Silver finally asked, “and bear in mind, I do not want to hear pretty words or false tales. I will know if they are so, and I will know if you are trying to convince me, or sway me in a way. I will not be altered.”

James nodded his head, it was only fair, besides, he could hardly lie now, could he? He just couldn’t tell the whole truth, but perhaps the whole truth wasn’t needed, not yet, not now. He was about to respond, but Silver beat him to it.

“And why did you make that bookstore? What was the purpose of that?”

James paused. “Which do you want the answer to first?”

“Are they not the same answer?” Silver asked. James smirked, by god, the man knew how to read a situation. Yes, in the end they were the same answer, and James realized, that Silver probably already knew the answers to his questions. He just needed confirmation, for whatever reason. Maybe some facts and little details to fill in the missing dots, but in the end, he already had the whole story. James just needed to ensure his story lined up with the one in Silver’s mind.

“You might take me to be a fool, but I’m a romantic at heart. I have been known to make bold declarations of love, and promise undying loyalty to those who hold my heart. The moment I saw you beaten up and in pain, yet so full of life, I knew that you would be one of those who I would forever swear loyalty to. Do not ask me why or how, for I cannot even fully answer that question, and frankly, I don’t want to look too deeply into it either.” James paused and assessed Silver. He had closed off a bit, and was regarding him skeptically. James couldn’t fault him — what he was saying sounded ludicrous to his own ears, but they were, in a way, the truth. Silver had to only look into his eyes to find no lie there, so James continued on.

“So, I set about trying to set the blocks up to help you, to protect you, all the while knowing that such advances would seem displeasurable in your eyes. I asked you to take a part in my scheme so that I could keep you by my side. To be able to watch you grow and foster you to unknown heights. I built that bookstore for you because I wanted you to have a place where you would be entirely free, a place where you could go if your work at my company wore you down and made you lose pleasure in the life.”

James paused, now looking down at his hands. Trying to slow his whirling thoughts. He had to say the last bit though. Needed to get that part out. Looking up, he stared deep into Silver’s eyes. “I did both of those things because I am entirely, unequivocally in love with you and have only wanted what was best for you. I have failed you on that wish a thousand times and each time it feels like a stab in the heart. I know you don’t return the sentiment, and would probably wish to never see my face after this, but if you take away only one thing from today, please take away the fact that I love you and always will. You cannot doubt that.”

James saw confusion in Silver’s eyes, along with hurt and a wildness that James could not detect. He had nothing more to say that would seem to bridge the gap between them. He knew whatever lay next, was in Silver’s hands.

As the moment dragged on, James felt a bit of defeat; it grew with each second. He had to look away from those eyes that seemed to not even be seeing James anymore, even if they held his gaze. Instead, James turned to look out the window. It was a sunny day, like it was supposed to be in the summertime, though now it was getting close to fall. Such a contrast to the mood that was threatening to overcome James.

James found he could not bear the silence a second longer. He needed to leave, needed to get out of the stifling room before he drowned. He stood up, with all the intentions to race out of the room, perhaps drown himself in beers and other such spirits at a nearby pub. A hand on his wrist stopped any such action from taking place.

“I don’t love you,” Silver said. James had to close his eyes, the pain almost too much to take. He knew that Silver didn’t love him, it would be an impossibility if that were so, but to hear it be said out loud… it shattered something integral inside of him.

He was about to yank his hand out of Silver’s grasp and storm out of the room when Silver spoke again. “But I think I could, one day… if you’ll let me.”

James gasped, turning around, not believing his ears. He stared at Silver in astonishment, finding earnest eyes staring right back, pleading for James to understand. With tentative fingers, he reached out and traced the side of Silver’s face. Running his fingers along the cheekbone, down to the scruff on his cheeks and underneath to his chin.

“What do you need?” James asked. It was a question that James should have asked from the very beginning instead of just assuming and charging right ahead. It was a question that could have staved off all of this pain and suffering. It was a question that James desperately needed the answer to.

A stuttering breath left Silver upon those words, and that seemed to be all that needed to break the dam. With another gasp, tears, wracking tears started making their way down Silver’s cheeks. Dripping onto the bed and soaking up into the sheets. The tears turned into all out sobs, that shook Silver’s whole body, rattling his frame.

Without further ado, James pulled Silver in close, wrapping him up in his arms and just holding on. Gently he rocked the poor broken man, letting his pain and hurt wash away. Letting the healing process begin.

It seemed that was not what Silver wanted, however, because after a couple of moments, he pushed at James’ arms. Pushing, with scrambling hands till James had no choice but to pull back. James was filled with regret and rejection, which quickly turned into surprise and confusion as Silver grabbed onto James’ face, holding it close to his own so that they could peer into each other’s eyes once more.

“Will you come visit me tomorrow?” Silver asked, eyes looking frantically back and forth between his own.

“If that is what you wish,” James croaked out. He would not leave this building if he had it his way.

Silver gave a tight nod of his head. “And the day after that? And after that one?”

James quickly nodded, not quite sure where this was going, but if he was allowed to keep visiting, he would not complain.

“Good,” Silver breathed, and before James could know what was going on, Silver had pulled him into a kiss.

It was a wet kiss, and due to their angles, quite sloppy and skewed. It was, however, one of the best kisses James had ever experienced. It felt like a triumph, like a coming home. The feeling of right and happiness thrummed through his veins.

He pulled back a bit, breaking it off. Silver whined in displeasure, but James only tutted softly and maneuvered them around a bit so that James was in a more comfortable position, with him sitting on the bed, arms going around Silver, and pulling him back into a kiss, which Silver returned only too happily.

Finally, was all James could think, finally.


	34. Long John's Shack

“I picked a hell of a time to get together with you. Have to wait four months before I’m allowed any sexual activity. Fucking Howell, I swear, he’s fucking with me.”

“Thought no one was supposed to be fucking you,” James said with a smirk… that earned him a pillow in the face.

“Shut up, you bastard.”

James chortled, placing the pillow safely on his lap. It was good to see Silver joking again, it showed he was recovering. They hadn’t really talked about where their relationship was going, Silver obviously returning to his joking, couldn’t care less phase, and James not wanting to push him. It seemed their relationship had taken a 180 with them going back to debating random topics, while teasing and joking with one another, but with the added benefit of kissing. Lots and lots of kissing, though of course, nothing else. “Well, I can wait.”

“I wasn’t lamenting for you, you prick. I was more concerned about my own welfare. Four months? I think I’m going to die.”

James walked over and leaned down to press a kiss onto Silver forehead. Silver, of course, had other ideas and moved his head quickly to capture his lips in a lewd kiss, that was far too inappropriate for the hospital setting.

“Please,” panted Silver, “just a fucking handjob.”

“I said no sexual activity,” Howell admonished, walking into the room. The man had the worst timing ever.

Silver groaned and leaned back in his bed though he captured James’ hand in his own, forcing him to stay by his side. James sat down on the bed and positioned them a bit so that Silver was leaning against his chest. Dr. Howell was eyeing them distrustfully, but James smiled innocently. “I promise, nothing will happen.”

“Traitor,” Silver mumbled under his breath. James only chuckled, planting a kiss on Silver’s temple. He knew he should be worried about their lack of communication on how this should work. After all, that is how they had gotten themselves into this mess in the first place, but well, James couldn’t care less at the moment. He had Silver in his arms for god sakes. That was all he had ever really wanted and now it was achieved. A miracle to say the least.

Two weeks had passed since the whole debacle which had ended with Silver and James making out. Things had much improved to say the least, and James had finally gone back to his company and sorted shit out. First things first, he fired Willow had his whole crew of traitors, and went about putting the right people in the right positions this time around. He also eradicated the whole lowerlings and upperlings business because that was never a healthy atmosphere for a business.

Things were now running smoothly and business was booming. They were the only trustworthy bank to go to now that most of the others were starting to show the wear and tear from their loan problems and E&G might as well be a dead zone.

Meanwhile Madi was up in the polls and only a huge upset would turn her away from victory. Mr. Scott, was, unsurprisingly, quite proud. As for Silver, well he was recovering at least. He wasn’t back to what he used to be like, and James doubted he ever would fully recover, but that was okay. He was alive and in pretty good health so that was all that mattered. The rest of the crew visited him as much as possible between working on the bookstore and other duties that they had. James tried to make sure he was by Silver’s side as much as possible without annoying the other man. So far, Silver’s eyes would always light up when James entered the room, so James counted that as a good sign.

They had gotten started talking about physiotherapy and prosthetic legs as well as other therapy that was needed. James volunteering to pay for everything. Surprisingly, Silver had agreed… for the first two that was. He was adamantly refusing counselling of any kind, citing that he didn’t need that shit when he was a kid, so he sure as hell didn’t need it now. Miranda, Muldoon, and Farjad all tried to make Silver change his mind using different methods, but Silver would not be swayed. James didn’t even bother trying, he was just glad Silver was accepting physiotherapy. Something that he would have resolutely refused back in the 18 th century.

“I was thinking of what I’m going to call my shop,” Silver mused, playing with James’ hands. It was a weird habit that Silver had picked up, and not one that James was familiar with. Then again, there probably hadn’t been much time for them to explore the touchy feely part of their relationship back in Nassau. Either way, James liked it and let Silver play with his hands as he so chose to. Though, he did regret that fact that it didn’t leave him the opportunity to play with Silver’s hair, but beggars can’t be choosers.

“Oh yeah?” James murmured. “Have you run it by Eleanor yet?” Eleanor had taken to setting up all the administration business parts, taking to it like a fish to water. James was eternally grateful to let another take over the tedious affair.

Silver smirked, and James knew instantly that it was not a name that she would approve of. “Long John’s Shack.”

James snorted, pushing his nose into Silver’s curls. “She’s going to hate you.”

“It’s brilliant!”

“And what sort of customers are you trying to attract exactly?”

Silver shrugged, lightly massaging James’ hand. “Maybe I don’t want to attract any.” It was barely even a ghost of a whisper, but James heard it all the same. It made him smile, for how could it not? It was why he had chosen that real-estate spot after all.

“And you don’t have to, but at least pretend to give Eleanor a sense of hope. She does so want this place to work out.”

“She doesn’t know?”

“Well, she does, I just don’t think she fully wants to admit it to herself yet. We’ll find some way to keep her occupied.”

That seemed to appease Silver, who settled back into James arms and changed the subject to the ridiculousness of ostriches and how he had lost all respect for the poor birds.

+

Progress was slow, which was infuriating, but to be expected Silver supposed. He basically had to learn to walk again, which was not a challenge Silver had ever thought he would have to go through. He couldn’t remember learning how to walk the first time around, too young for memories to hold purchase in his brain, but he doubted he had the same encouragement as he had now.

He found himself musing about his childhood. There were no cute little videos cooing over his first words or steps. There were no photos of him going to the park with a family member. No ribbons or certificates from some silly competition to show his progress in life. It had always just been him by himself, forced to find some way to get by. Jumping from foster home to foster home, getting bullied, resorting to petty thievery. Not exactly a happy life.

Yet, as he held onto two parallel bars, holding himself up while he gingerly took steps on his new prototype leg, he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of satisfaction with where his life had ended up. He was down a leg and mired in a ton of other shit, but his life wasn’t over as he had so recently assumed it to be, and he had something to look forward to now. Specifically, a grumpy ginger who acted far too much like a puppy for his own good.

The thought of Flint made him smile involuntarily. He still couldn’t wrap his head around what exactly had happened or why he had given in. Silver could still feel the hatred and resentment he held for the other man, just adding to the pain coursing through his soul as he lay in the hospital bed. Miranda’s visit and the loneliness that threatened him had won over though. No matter how great his new friends were, or how supportive everyone was being, Silver knew deep down that there would always be that little what if lingering in the back of his mind if he let Flint go.

He had been living with the man for a little over half a year now, and though things were rocky during a lot of it, there was just something about the man that had sunk into Silver’s veins, and Silver doubted he would be able to let go. Besides, he had grown spoiled and liked that house far too much to want to leave it ever again. Though, he wouldn’t mind a bedroom change…

A nurse rolled him back to his room once physio therapy was over, and to his pleasant surprise, Flint was there, with a bag of what smelled to be freshly made cheese scones. Silver’s mouth watered in anticipation. That was another thing he would have missed — the food. Though Flint hadn’t been cooking much for him over the last couple of months, Silver knew he just had to bat his eyelids and give his best puppy dog stare and Flint would be back to cooking him three square meals a day.

If only he would make dessert too, but life wasn’t perfect, now was it?

“You are a godsend!” Silver exclaimed grabbing the bag. He was really starting to hate hospital food. Everything was just so… slimy.

Flint chuckled, grabbing the bag back to steal one for himself. Silver let out a little hiss. “Get your own you fucker!”

“So grateful. I really feel motivated to keep bringing you more stuff,” Flint said dryly, though there was a soft twinkle in his eye. Silver smirked back, biting into the first scone, moaning gratuitously as the decadence hit his tongue. He flicked his eyes up and was pleased to see Flint shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Silver was 110% positive that Dr. Howell was a lying bastard about the whole celibacy thing, but Flint wouldn’t be budged. That was one thing Silver needed to curb out of Flint — his over-protectiveness. Silver was never, and would never be, some poor damsel in distress.

“Well, I am leaving this damn place tomorrow, so I guess it doesn’t matter.” He was finally going to get out of this hell hole. He knew for a fact that he had stayed longer than usual, mostly due to the fact that upon Flint and Miranda’s insistence he needed to be at a point where his leg would not suddenly get inflamed or whatever. Dr. Howell had just gone along with it, which was why Silver knew he was lying about the whole celibacy thing as well. But like really, what did they expect him to do? Enter the Paralympics? Start running up mountains just for fun? There was a reason he had went into finance, not athletics.

“Are you ready?” Flint asked, all concerned. Of course he was concerned, he had been nothing but concerned for awhile now. Silver was fairly certain that was the only emotion Flint knew at the moment.

“Of course I’m fucking ready. Been ready for weeks.”

Noting Silver’s irritation, Flint quickly changed the subject. “So how was physio?”

Silver shrugged. “Ehh, fine I guess. Nothing new. Wish my muscle memory would start to work faster though.”

“It will take time.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Silver sighed, leaning back in his bed. He didn’t want to talk about his leg anymore. “So, how’s the bookstore coming along?”

“They’ve started on the garden now, though Miranda keeps saying it is a bit late for them to start planting stuff. They won’t listen to her though.”

“I thought she was supposed to be the boss?” Silver asked, his good mood returning to him.

“In this? Nah. They may be scared of her, and for good reason, but this is their baby. Its their final decision.”

“I thought I got the final say?” Silver said, pouting a tiny bit. He really didn’t care either way, but he liked to see Flint squirm.

“And it will be,” Flint said assuredly. “Anything you don’t like will go, and anything you want added will be put in. Well… except not the name. Eleanor flat out refused to have any store with the name Long John on it.”

Silver laughed loud and clear. Oh how he wished he could have seen her face when she had heard the name he had chosen. Hopefully Joshua or Logan had been there and would grant him a playful spectacle of what happened. He then sobered up and looked over at Flint skeptically. Flint was sitting across from him chortling as well, though he stopped and stared uncertainly over at Silver once he realized that Silver was assessing him.

Flint was looking a lot better now. The dark circles under his eyes were gone and his green eyes now reflected the light instead of just consuming it. His posture was also more open and he no longer seemed so tense. It was odd, but Silver couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride knowing he was a big reason for that.

“Captain Flint’s Treasure.”

“What?” Flint said.

“That’s what I want to call it. Captain Flint’s Treasure.”

Flint seemed to pale slightly at that, which was a bit weird. Silver thought he would have been tickled pink at the idea.

“Are you sure you want to call it that?”

“Yeah, why not? You don’t like it?”

“No well… that would mean it’s named after me.”

Silver chuckled. “No, I’m actually naming it after my great grandfather. Captain Flint, fiercest pirate of the seven seas!”

Flint’s eyes bugged out of his head and his jaw dropped. An over reaction for such a simple joke. “Gr-grandfather?” There seemed to be fear in his eyes as well, which didn’t make any sense.

“It was a joke…” Silver said, watching Flint in concern. “I don’t even know my parents’ names, much less a great grandfather or what he did as an occupation.”

Flint quickly looked down at his hands, nodding jerkily. He still seemed unsettled. “Right, of course. My mistake. Captain Flint’s Treasure it is then.”

Silver nodded as well, though no longer so certain of his choice. He had thought it would be a nice show of support and gratitude, to name it after Flint. Now it just seemed to be like a heavy omen and one Silver wasn’t sure he wanted to know for what.  



	35. Almost Perfect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha this chapter is a narrative mess, like I feel like I forgot how to make a story flow with this... so basically these are all separate chunks mashed together with no sense of logic or reason. I'm sorry. Did I ever say I wasn't good at writing fluff? Yeah, let's go with that... lol ignore me.

Home at last! It felt like a breath of fresh air to be back amongst familiar walls and comforting noises.

Flint made to wheel Silver to his bedroom, but Silver was having none of that. “I’m sleeping in your room,” making sure that his voice brokered no room for argument.

Flint looked down at him in concern, well apparently, there was room for argument. He should have known better. “Are you sure? I mean, you just got back, and with your leg…”

“My leg is fine goddammit!” Silver took a couple of calming breaths before continuing, voice going sincerer. “We’ve been dancing around each other for months, I’m tired of playing games and pretending I don’t want you.”

Flint mulled it over in his mind for several seconds and Silver was worried for a bit that he was going to deny him the simple request. Thankfully, he nodded his head in the end and steered him towards the master bedroom.

Silver looked around as he maneuvered himself from the chair to the bed. The room was just as minimalistic as the others in the house, but this room seemed even more detached than the rest. Silver couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was, but the place seemed almost lonely.

He turned to look at Flint, only to find him standing around awkwardly. Silver was reminded of that day when Silver had barged in, convinced that Morris was the key to everything. The stupid bastard had just been another cog in a deadly machine that Silver was only too happy to be free from.

“Do you want anything? Water? Tea? A hot bag for your leg?”

Silver smiled fondly, shaking his head. He had other things in mind. He reached out and grabbed Flint’s shirt yanking him down for a kiss. Silver, being the minx that he was, started it out slow, lulling Flint into a false sense of security. Then, with practiced moves, heated things up a bit —swiping his tongue along the bottom lip, begging for access, and pulling Flint in closer so he was forced to practically straddle Silver.

As Silver began to carefully explore Flint’s mouth, the man pulled back with a gasp, glaring at Silver. Trying, but failing to make his glare harsh. He failed spectacularly. “We can’t.”

“Sure we can,” Silver murmured, going back in and nibbling lightly at Flint’s jaw line. He had waited too damn long for this and he wasn’t stopping now.

“You could get hurt,” Flint tried to protest.

Silver scoffed. “I’ll be fine. Besides, I’m not saying we should go all the way just yet. Just joint handjobs, a couple of blowjobs here and there, and other fun stuff. Please.” Silver moved his hands underneath Flint’s shirt, ranking his fingers up and down the expanse of Flint’s back, relishing in the tight muscles that rolled underneath. He leaned in for another kiss, and this time he was rewarded with Flint’s tongue hesitantly licking across his teeth and entering his mouth. Silver let out a lewd moan, and he knew that he had got him.

“Fine,” Flint gasped out, gently pushing Silver down on the bed and leaning over him. “But the moment you feel any pain, you tell me right away.”

Silver smirked, but nodded his head, easing Flint’s fears. He then pulled Flint back in and let his mind shut off, enjoying the new and exciting sensations. Letting Flint’s smell and body consume his every thought, consume his very soul.

…

_ Silver silently walks up beside James, who is staring off into the vast distance. It is a quiet night, the sky is clear and thousands upon thousands of stars can be seen glittering across the everlasting expanse of space. Silver doubts he will ever know what all the names are, or what all the constellations represent, but he finds that he doesn’t care. As long as they are always shining and guiding his way, he’ll be okay. _

_ James knows all about the stars, able to tell tales of the epic battles that were fought across the skies, where loves were torn from one another, then rejoined once more. Silver loves to listen to him speak of such tales, especially when they are in bed and Silver’s head is resting against James’ chest. Feeling the vibrations against his head as James’ voice rumbles up above. Silver hardly ever pays attention to what James is saying, but he doesn’t think James minds all that much. He is just content to have Silver in his arms, like Silver is content to be in his arms. _

_ They stand side by side in silence. Enjoying each other's presence without feeling the need to speak. Battles will have to be fought, blood will have to be shed, but for tonight all is at rest. Tonight there is peace, and they have each other. _

_ Tonight, their love is strong, and that is all that matters. _

+

He spun Silver around and gently pressed him down on the bed before clambering on top of him. Looking down at the body laid before him he couldn’t help but pause to take in the sight. Silver was beautiful, there was no denying that. Still though, James had never thought he would see this sight ever again. To have Silver underneath him, wanting him, desiring him. It felt like a dream.

Silver moaned impatiently and yanked James down for a kiss. Nope. This was much better than any dream. The four months were finally up, and well that meant they could actually fuck properly, as Silver so kindly put it. They had been getting each other off in various other ways, but James had always been careful, much to Silver’s chagrin. Even when Silver had been making leaps and bounds with his prosthetic leg and physio. He still could only walk small distances, and there was still that lingering pain, but it was nothing like what he had had to endure in Nassau. Modern medicine was truly a blessing.

James started peppering Silver’s neck with little kisses, loving the little moans that spilled out of Silver’s mouth. He had missed those.

Leaning back up he assessed Silver again. “Is it alright if I top?”

Silver snorted and lifted his hips, rubbing their arousals together. James let out a little hiss, causing Silver to smirk. “Yes, if you get on with it. I’ve been wanting this for months you bastard.”

James chuckled. Such a Silver response.

“Don’t think for a second though that this will be the status quo. I’ll be fucking you too.”

James leaned down for another kiss. Of course he would. They were equals in every way, especially in this. As they kissed, James moved his hands underneath Silver’s shirt, mapping out the skin there with his hands. Tracing the muscles and bones under his fingers. Memorizing its patterns again.

Silver broke the kiss to yank his shirt off, then James’. James would have preferred to take his sweet time, but that would have to wait for another time. Right now the need was thrumming too loudly under both of their veins to do much exploring.

Still though, the sight of Silver’s bare chest made him want to pause for a second and just stare at it for days. To trace every inch of the skin with his mouth. To cherish each dimple, each crevasse. Silver seemed to be just as awed. Staring at James’ chest, while running tentative hands over his chest and down to his abs.

“Gods, you are a cruel cruel man for keeping this away from me.” Silver breathed, fingers tracing invisible patterns into his skin. James let out a chuckle.

“I would like to disagree. You are the cruel one for always sauntering around without a shirt, being a damn siren.”

Silver pushed his hips up again with a gasp. “I was only doing that to get your attention you bloody bastard. You could have had me from the very beginning.”

True, but then, James knew he couldn’t have done that. It wouldn’t have been the same. It would have had no meaning in it. Silver didn’t know James yet, didn’t really care for him. It wouldn’t have worked out.

Knowing that Silver probably expected an answer, but there was none that James could give, he leaned down and kissed him again. This time roaming his hands down to Silver’s pants and pulling down the zipper.

Silver hurriedly did the same to his own and together they yanked off the last of their clothing. At last James could gaze down at all of Silver’s glory once again. Reaching out, he grabbed Silver’s cock and starting giving it small strokes, making him buck up in his hand.

“Fucking hell!” Silver hissed.

James chuckled as he reached down and grabbed the recently bought lube and carefully poured some on his fingers. He looked down at Silver, silently asking permission. Silver widened his knees to give James better access.

James rubbed his rim, just lightly pressing against it at first to warm him up. If James’ suspicions were right, then it had been months since Silver had had anyone. Sure enough, as he pushed in deeper, he found it to be quite tight. He slowed down his movements, making sure to take his time so that he wouldn’t unintentionally hurt him. Silver, though, was having none of it.

“Get on with it.” He whined, trying to push up against his fingers. James used his other hand to push him down.

“Do you want to get hurt?” James growled, continuing to move his fingers at a tortuously slow pace. He knew he could probably go a little faster, but he liked torturing the little shit. Silver seemed to know it too.

“I’ll fucking die of old age before this gets anywhere.” Silver retorted, scratching his nails down James’ biceps. James smirked and crooked his fingers, finding the little spot inside Silver and pressing against it. Silver let out a shout and jerked in his arms.

“That’s it, you like that?” James asked, though instead of focusing in on that spot, his fingers went everywhere but. Silver hissed, knowing exactly what James was doing, and reached out to tweak James’ nipples in retaliation. Squeezing the nubs harshly.

James moaned and put his forehead into the crook of Silver’s neck, jabbing his fingers just a little bit harder inside of Silver, causing a moan to break out. James decided to stop teasing Silver, after all, they had waited months for this, and started stretching Silver with a purpose, getting three fingers inside and scissoring them around, making Silver get nice and open. Silver moved his hips in return, trying to fuck himself on them and being just generally loud.

“Always loud in bed I see,” James teased.

“It’s part of my charm,” Silver retorted, yanking James down into a lewd kiss, more tongue and teeth than anything else. James leaned into, letting his hum indicate his agreeance.

While they were kissing, James pulled his fingers out and started slicking up his cock, before carefully guiding Silver’s legs apart, making sure to be mindful of Silver’s leg. He thanked all the gods for modern technology, meaning that Silver’s leg was in much better shape than it had been in Nassau, still, he needed to be careful. There was nothing worse than ruining the mood because he had caused Silver accidental pain.

Silver curled his good leg around James’ hips, pushing him closer to his body and leaning up slightly, to get a better angle. James slowly pushed in, making sure to leave room for Silver to get adjusted to his length. Gods, it felt so good to be inside of Silver again, he was so tight and warm, just like he had remembered, but better even, since they were on a comfy surface and there was no fear that someone would overhear or walk in and find them.

Silver was moaning underneath him, doing little hitches with his hips against James’ cock, trying to get him to move faster. Hair spread around him like a beautiful dark halo, and eyes blown with desire. He was truly a sight.

Leering down at him, James pulled out slightly, and pushed back in, hard. The guttural groan that was pulled out of Silver’s mouth fuelled James’ fire.

“More,” Silver gasped out, hands pulling on James’ shoulders, trying to get James to move. James could only comply, setting a punishing pace, that had both of them gasping for breath and aching for more. There will be other times when James will take his time, bringing them to the edge then taking them back over and over again. Times where he would play with Silver’s body to his heart’s content, and other times where it will be reversed and he will be at Silver’s mercy. There would be countless more opportunities for exploration, but for today, James, and he assumed Silver as well, just needed this. The hard joining of each other’s bodies, becoming one. Laying claim to each other, and releasing pent up frustrations and lust.

Bringing his hand down between them, he jerked Silver off roughly, and before long, Silver came with a cry, shuddering in James’ arms. It was only a couple of more thrusts before James’ came as well, moaning into Silver’s hair.

They lay like that, with James on top of Silver for several seconds, both of them regaining their breaths. Then Silver chuckled, and pushed at James. “Now clean me up.”

James raised an eyebrow, pulling out, but remaining on top of Silver. “And why should I do all the work?”

Silver squirmed cloyingly underneath James, body all stretched out and lithe, covered in sweat. “Because,” he said, batting his eyelashes, “my body is still fragile. Can’t put too much exertion on my leg and all.”

James rolled his eyes, rolling off and getting up. “You little brat. You won’t be able to use that excuse all the time,” he said, leaning down to lightly peck Silver on the lips. This post-coital banter was new — before they had mostly just hurried to get dressed and get back on deck before anyone noticed their absence. Didn’t leave much time for the relaxed stuff. James found he liked it.

Silver smirked, putting his hands behind his head and stretching out. “Want to make a bet?”

James shook his head as he came back with a cloth, gently washing away the mess they created, softly caressing the smooth planes of Silver’s skin, becoming engrossed in the task. “No, I’ll just lose,” James said, still focusing on his task. He loved taking care of Silver and despite his outwardly annoyance, he wasn’t bothered at all.

“Damn right you will,” Silver said, leaning up and pulling James back into a kiss. This one becoming much deeper, and soon James forgot all about his assigned task and just let himself get washed away with the sensations.

+

The bookstore/café was finally ready to be opened. All the renovations were complete, the shelves were full of books and there were plenty of precious little tea cups just for Vane. James felt this odd feeling inside of him, a feeling that felt like anticipation, nervousness, and happiness. If James didn’t know better, he would say that he was excited.

Together, Silver and James went to the big opening of the shop, smiling at each other like idiots. It was weird, since it was basically just going to be their crew. They didn’t expect any guests or customers, nor did they really want any. Still, this was a special day and both James and Silver wanted it to be perfect. It  _ was  _ going to be perfect.

When they got there, everyone was already there, standing just outside of the building. Thankfully no one was walking by for they were quite a crowd and would be sure to draw in curious eyes.

Max ran over and hugged Silver tightly once they got out of the car, and before James could say anything, pulled Silver off to where Idelle, Eleanor, and Cindy were having a conversation. Must be gossip by the way they were laughing.

Indu and Eme were having a little chat off to the side, and surprisingly Anne and Madi were in a deep dialogue.

Jack was, meanwhile, having his hands full with Farjad’s two children, Vane watching from the side, trying but failing to act unimpressed. The construction crew were all jostling with one another, though with a new member — Ben Gunn. James had not wanted to put in the effort to find the daft fellow, but it seemed Billy had found him somewhere or another and befriended the man. Well, perhaps it was meant to be.

Finally, Miranda was having a conversation with Farjad, his wife, Mr. Scott, and his wife.

Everyone was here, everyone was happy, and most importantly everyone was safe. There was no danger, no need to go to war, no need to fight each other. It was just as James had wanted it. Perfect in every way.

The opening ceremony of course was this cheesy thing, with Silver and James co-joining in cutting up the ribbon Muldoon and Logan had jokingly put up at the door. James had tried to get only Silver to cut it, saying this was all for him, but the others refused. Pointing to the name of the shop.

Captain Flint’s Treasure.

James still wasn’t entirely comfortable with the name, but it seemed to bring a smile to everyone else’s face so he shoved his concerns to the side. Grudgingly, he helped Silver cut open the building, while Idelle and Eme took a billion pictures.

Then of course there was the party, which at first involved a lot of tea and pleasant stuff like nice pastries provided by Eme and Anne of all people. She had taken to baking and seemed to like it. Vane had also made a bunch of little sandwiches, which actually tasted really good, though he refused to tell anyone his recipe.

Then Farjad’s family had to leave and that was when the alcohol started flowing, now that the children were out of the picture. As the beer and rum spilled out, laughter could be heard brightening up the room and making it all seem like a dream.

James reached Silver’s side, slipping an arm around his waist and pressing a kiss to his temple. Silver smiled up at him in return.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter... angst!! (my bread and butter) ... oh and look, this story actually has an ending! 5 more chapters to go, we've almost made it :)


	36. Remembering

Things were going perfect, everything was fucking great. So of course that meant that a major wrench had to be thrown into their lives. One that Silver would have never in a million years have expected, nor wanted.

He found out the truth.

Oh, ignorance is bliss, and it had been, oh so blissfully perfect, his ignorance was. It had lasted for eight months and things were just getting better. Silver was now firmly in control of his new leg, the bookstore was actually starting to get a decent amount of business, and making money, which was entirely unexpected, and put Eleanor over the moon.

The customers were all really good human beings and most became regulars, so no one minded at all. Silver and James did still work at Walrus Corp, though taking on a more relaxed role. They had good people in the right places now, so it was less work on them.

See, life was great, and that was why shit had to hit the fan.

It had happened unexpectedly. Silver was washing the dishes when an immense pain invaded his skull. All he could see at first was bright flashes of red and white.

Then the memories came.

Image after image invaded Silver’s brain, his life as Solomon Little, replaying in his mind, though this time going into extreme detail. His life on his own, then his life at sea, then to meet Flint… all of it, right up to Silver destroying Flint and him leaving. Living a half life that was all a lie. Treasure Island. Treasure fucking Island and that little brat of a kid. All of it, it was all clear. It all made sense.

Then the memories stopped, the world came to focus again, and Silver was on the floor, his leg was killing him, from landing funnily, and there were wet streams running down his cheeks.

All those dreams… they hadn’t been just dreams had they? No, they were memories, starting to make themselves known again to Silver. Pushing at his mind, leaking through the cracks.

And…  _ James.  _ Everything made fucking sense now. Why James had taken him in, why he cared for him, why he was doing all of this. It was one thing that Silver could never wrap his head around, it got to the point where he stopped looking for answers and just accepting it. James must have fucking known, the bastard!

But… if he knew… then why the  _ fuck  _ would he want anything to do with Silver? Silver had torn James apart, ripped him to shreds and left him with nothing. To have James act like this in this life? It was fucking wrong. They should be enemies not lovers.

What hurt the most was that James hadn’t said anything. He was just going to keep this a little secret from him for the rest of their lives. Live a fucking lie, while Silver would go along unknowingly. Living with a man who was fucking insane, who would tear them both apart if he didn’t watch their steps. It was fucking insane.

James entered the kitchen and stopped short seeing Silver on the ground. “What happened?” He asked, hurriedly coming over and kneeling down.

Silver flinched away, not able to handle Flint’s touch. The thought brought bile up to his mouth. He didn’t want this, he didn’t deserve this.

Flint looked hurt, brows furrowing in concern. Well served the bastard right. “Silver, what’s wrong, let me help.”

“Don’t fucking touch me you bastard.”

Flint’s mouth dropped open in surprise, but Silver was too far gone to care. This was his dignity after all. Silver scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain that was shooting through his leg, or not really ignoring it, letting it add to his anger.

Of fucking course he would lose his leg again. It must be destiny or some such shit. Destiny that made him lose his fucking leg, and in the course of it, tie himself to Flint. The great pirate of the seven seas, making all those who met him tremble at his feet.

Flint took a step towards him, but Silver quickly backpedaled. “Nassau.”

Flint froze, eyes widening in horror as he realized what was happening. “Silver… please, you have to…”

“You fucking lied to me! Is this some sort of sick joke?” Flint was vehemently shaking his head, but Silver pursued on. “Conquer John Silver in this life, make him fall in love with you, toy with him, like he toyed with you back then.”

“That’s not what-”

“I HAD ALL THE RIGHT IN THE WORLD TO DO WHAT I DID!”

“No one’s saying that-”

“YOU DON’T GET A FUCKING SAY IN THIS! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!”

“John please!”

“Don’t fucking call me that.”

Flint closed his mouth. Silenced at last.

A tiny part of Silver’s mind pleaded with him, telling him that this could be fixed, but Silver wouldn’t listen to it. He wasn’t listening to anything at the moment. All he felt was cold hard rage and blinding fury.

He had to get out of here. He had to escape.

Without another word, he left the house, ignoring Flint’s desperate pleas, ignoring everything. It felt like his heart was shattering in two, but he was too angry to feel it.

+

James stared at the wall in shock. John was gone. He was gone, and James didn’t know if he was coming back.

Out of all the things that could have happened, James would have never expected it to be this. For John to have regained his memories.

Of fucking course that was what happened. The gods must hate him.

He reached blindly for his whiskey, but it wasn’t enough, he needed something stronger, something that made him burn all over and consume everything inside of him.

Sadly, being sober for the entirety of this life and the previous one didn’t leave much options when it came to alcohol. Just some cooking wine, which would hardly do the trick.

With a scream he threw the whiskey against the wall, shattering it to pieces and taking away his one source of actually delving into oblivion. He watched as the liquid soaked into the wall, staining it an ugly dark smear that would lead to a constant reminder for him.

He wanted to rage, he wanted to yell, and tear the whole world apart. Instead he just collapsed. Shivering, he lay on the floor, barely even moving, staring into nothing. He had lost everything, because of a past, a past that could barely even be called his own anymore. And how was that fair? To be haunted by something that happened long before he was even born?


	37. Let's Try Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is basically the chapter that fulfills that prompt I signed up for all those months ago... finally got there lol...

Silver sat in a bar, drowning out his sorrows. He hadn’t been back home in a week, staying in hostels and crappy motels. Eating fast food and feeling like crap 24/7. Thankfully, his phone had died on the first day and he had no way to recharge it, so he didn’t see any messages his friends might have sent him. Or those from James for that matter.

“Hey, are you alright?” A voice asked. Wincing, Silver turned around, it was Indu, surprisingly, not with Cindy. He supposed it wasn’t the worst person to run into. He hadn’t talked to her in awhile, with her and Cindy busy with some marketing stuff in Scotland for the last month or so.

“Where’s your other half?”

Indu laughed, “We are separate people you know, though I can see the confusion.” She held up her hand, which was adorned with a sparkling ring.

“No way!” Silver breathed, “congratulations!”

“Thanks! Wedding’s in a month, you are invited of course.”

“Why thank you, how kind. Bit soon though isn’t it?”

She shrugged. “Why wait?” Indu then turned serious again. “So, what is it?”

Silver sighed, turning back to his drink. “I found out something about my partner that sort of changes everything. Like he didn’t exactly lie to me, but he didn’t tell me the truth either. He hid something from me.”

She nodded in understanding, “Is it a bad thing?”

“I don’t know, yes and no I guess.”

“Does it affect your relationship?”

“Same answer,” Silver said with a shrug.

“Hmm, does it change how you see him?”

Silver shrugged.

“Well, you certainly are a man of many words tonight.”

Silver shot her a glare, but it lacked heat. “It’s just, I don’t know how to compute what I’ve learned. He never expected me to find out, and I don’t know why I found out either. It shouldn’t impact our relationship, but it does, you know? Or at least on my side it does. For him, it doesn’t matter… at least I don’t think it does.”

“You haven’t talked to him yet,” Indu said. Silver shook his head. Well, aside from their shouting match, but Silver didn’t think that was what she was talking about.

“You have to talk to him, find out why he kept this thing from you,”

“I already know why.” Silver would have most definitely run if Flint had told him on the first day that they were reincarnated souls from Nassau.

“You think you know why he didn’t tell you, you don’t actually know why,” Indu corrected. “Trust me, if you want to keep this relationship alive, if you love him, and you think there is even a minimal chance that you can get through this, then talk to him. Try and sort things out.”

Silver supposed she was right, but that didn’t make the thought of doing so any easier. Question was, did he want to make the relationship work, or were they better off going their separate ways?

After all, if one should learn from past mistakes, it was that they were toxic around each other. Feeding off one another like hungry wolves, not knowing when to stop and in the end, what was left except for bloody carcasses? Was that what he wanted?

Silver didn’t know. He just didn’t know.

...

He stayed away for two weeks. Even after the talk with Indu, he still couldn’t bring himself to go back just yet. He was still trying to sort through what he now knew. What should have been just a laughable joke was actually something that Silver believed to the very core of his being. That was the thing, there was no real reason why Silver should believe what he saw. He was a rational, logical person, who, despite embellishing stories for his own purposes, tended to keep himself within a firm grasp of reality. This was so out there and extreme that Silver shouldn’t believe it was true, yet he did. There was no doubt, no questioning. What he had seen was absolutely true and Silver had to live with that fact.

It had been a hard two weeks, with him ignoring his friends and not knowing what to do. He couldn’t very well go to Walrus Corp in the chance that James might be there, and he definitely couldn’t go to Captain Flint’s Treasure.

Now that was ironic. Thinking back, he now realized why James was not totally on board with calling the café that name. Seemed like the fates played cruel tricks on all of them. Wasn’t the treasure the whole fucking reason they had gotten into that mess back in Nassau? It was a vile, evil thing that sucked everyone’s soul. It was the fucking reason Silver had been so filled with this underlying rage after James had died that first time. A rage which he held inside of him and didn’t let anyone see, putting on a false mask of joviality that fooled everyone.

Gods he had been so stubborn, and so determined. He had needed to get that treasure. Needed it beyond reasoning, and see how that had turned out? It had been worthless in the end. Just fucking gold and silver pieces, of no actual worth in Silver’s eyes. He could only bring himself to take a handful of it to appease that small part of him that Silver had grown to detest, the part of him that made him throw James away.

He slammed his hand against the hotel wall again. Gods, he was so irrationally angry. He was mad that James had kept this from him, mad that he was a selfish man who only looked out for himself, mad that James hadn’t fought harder to keep them together. That he had let Silver give in to his need to survive… no that James had just given up. That was what he was the maddest at. James hadn’t even fucking tried. Once it was obvious that there was no hope to reclaim Nassau, James had let himself be consumed.

“YOU FUCKING BASTARD!” Silver screamed. He didn’t care if he was disturbing the other hotel guests. It didn’t matter, nothing did. “WHY DIDN’T YOU FIGHT? WHY DIDN’T YOU DO ANYTHING? WHY DIDN’T YOU FIGHT FOR ME? WASN’T I WORTH IT?”

His screams were met with nothing, silence. James wasn’t there to answer… but he could be. This wasn’t back in the 18 th century where it was only Silver left alone to his dark thoughts, screaming into the night when everyone else was fast asleep. Screaming at a ghost that still haunted him even as the years passed.

Thing was, Silver was terrified of what he was going to hear. Of what answers James had to those questions. In the end, did he really want to know? Or was it best to let the matter rest? But if he let the matter rest, could he ever go back, or did he have to leave? Let go of James Flint and start his own life. One where Silver was once again on his own and alone.

After everything that had happened to Silver, Silver didn’t know if he could handle that again. Handle the crushing loneliness, the pain that came with not having anyone to talk to, to laugh with, to find understanding in.

It was those thoughts that led to Silver’s decision.

+

James stared down at the phone, hundreds of messages and countless missed phone calls and nothing. Not even a fuck you. James would have loved to hear a fuck you, if it showed that Silver was still alive and breathing. He didn’t even know that.

The fucking annoying part was that none of the others knew where Silver was. He could be across the country for all James knew, hell he might not even be in the same country anymore. Taking a plane to a far-off land where James didn’t even have the hope of finding him ever again. He hoped that was not the case. If he didn’t hear from Silver soon, he doubted he would be able to survive much longer like this. He knew he was slowly killing himself and he didn’t care.

The phone rang and James scrambled for it, only to see that it was Miranda calling him. He let it go to voicemail. She was the only person that he hadn’t contacted throughout this whole thing, out of fear of what she would do. Her loyalties lay with James, not Silver, and she would go after Silver with an fierce fury for hurting James. That was the last thing James wanted, it would surely push Silver away for good, and James still had to hope that Silver would at least contact him one more time. Give him the opportunity to explain himself. What he would say… he didn’t know yet, but he at least deserved the chance didn’t he? Hell, he had convinced the Maroon Queen to let his crew go all those years ago, he had to stand a chance to convince Silver to stay with him. Even if he didn’t deserve to have Silver in his arms again.

The phone fell silent. He wondered how much Miranda knew. He hadn’t talked to her at all these past two weeks, and since she was in contact with the others at the café, they were sure to let her know something was wrong. Unless they were proving loyal to him, which would be a weird, but hopeful thing to think about. He had asked them not to worry her after all.

He stared glumly at the wall, he should get up and make himself something to eat, but he didn’t feel like it. He wasn’t hungry, hadn’t been for awhile. Only when his stomach actually protested did he bother making himself a flimsy sandwich or pour himself a bowl of cereal. Food held no meaning to him now.

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, letting darkness take over him for a couple of seconds. Peace, that was what he wanted now. Peace and for everything to fucking stop hurting.

He didn’t know how long he sat there like that, but when he opened his eyes, he saw the image of Silver standing in front of him looking down at him. James’ heart started beating faster in his chest, before he internally berated himself. It was only one of his little visions, projecting the image of Silver to haunt him.

“What are you doing here?” He asked it, wondering what the answer will be this time.

The image shrugged its shoulders, and sat down at the wall across from him. “I was angry. Towards you.”

Yes, James had gathered that much, he had seen it in Silver’s eyes before he had left. The fearsome fury that made those blue eyes seem to spark and hiss. “Well, you can yell at me all you want,” James told it. It was no less than he deserved.

Fake Silver shook his head. “Yelling will get us nowhere.”

James wanted to curse. Of course today Silver would have to be rational, James much preferred the days when Silver gave into his cold fury and attempted to destroy James. It wasn’t necessarily within Silver’s character to do so — something more in line with what James would do — but it felt better to be loudly assaulted than to be picked and prodded with biting words that cut deeper than fists and yells.

“Then what do you suppose we do?” James asked.

“Talk,” replied Silver simply.

Ah yes, talk, like that will do so much good. James didn’t feel like talking at the moment. “Can’t you see I’m not in the mood? Either yell at me or go away. I’m not in the mood for mind games tonight.”

Silver frowned and seemed to assess James critically. James had really done a number with projecting Silver this time. He almost seemed real.

“If you want me to go, fine, but first answer me one question. You at least owe me that.”

James sighed and nodded, gesturing for Silver to ask his question. Might as well see what his mind will supply him with tonight.

“Why did you let me bring about your ruin? Why didn’t you fight back?”

What a funny thing to ask, James thought. James knew full well why he did that and so Silver should know as well. Perhaps the image wanted to torture him tonight, make him say it aloud to mock his love for a man who could never return it.

“Because I love you and I would have held you back. You were self serving and determined to survive, but if I had fought back, if I had shown to have life, a part of you would have convinced yourself that staying by my side was the way to survive. You would have managed to convince yourself that staying with me was in line with your interests. I couldn’t let that happen.”

“Speak plainly,” Silver said, his breath seemed to be coming out jaggedly, and his eyes took on a feral tone. A weird image for James to project, yet here it was.

“I was already falling down the wayside, determined to pursue my dead goal. If you had managed to convince yourself to stay I would have brought about your ruin like I did Thomas, Miranda, and Gates. I couldn’t let another person that I grew to love perish in the same fashion, so I let your prophecy come true. I let you tear me down, I let you tear me apart. I let myself give up so you could see that there was no point in staying with me if you wanted to survive, and that is what you desperately needed to do. Survive. That is why I did it, so that you could get out and live your life. That is why I let you destroy me. You were always the most important person to you John. I could never compete.”

Silver stared at James in shock, tears seemed to be in his eyes, though James couldn’t gather why. This Silver already knew that, he never hid that from himself, not since after Thomas helped him realize that. That was one thing he didn’t lie to himself about anymore. There was no point, and he would gladly do it again.

“I hated myself,” said Silver, and that made James pause. He couldn’t imagine Silver ever saying such a thing about himself, but he let this Silver continue, perhaps his mind would shed some missing detail that he had looked over. That is why he had these images, was it not?

“I was fucking miserable, lying to both myself and others, and I fucking couldn’t sleep at night, always seeing your face that last time on that blasted beach. I would always go back to that moment in my dreams, begging myself to turn around, but I never did, I never could. And to hear that you constructed it all to get me to leave… because you didn’t believe yourself able. How many times did I tear you from the jaws of death? How many times did I tell you that there was another way? GODDAMIT JAMES!” Silver slammed the palm of his hand against a cabinet, shaking the contents inside. James couldn’t make sense of what was going on. “If you could have just come to me I could have convinced you to leave your fucking goal behind. I could have convinced you to come with me, to find a different life. I could have saved us both!” Silver was wild eyed now, having gotten up and pacing back and forth like a wild man. “But noooo, you decided to fucking give up. Let yourself fall to your fucking ruin and leaving me with a seemingly easy choice, one that at the time I didn’t even think twice of, yet you are now fucking telling me that it didn’t have to be that way?”

James got up as well, something at the back of his mind telling him that there was something off about what Silver was saying. “I was a broken man. You deserved better than that.”

“I DESERVED YOU JAMES!” Silver screamed, pushing hard against James chest. James stumbled back a couple of steps, everything clicking in his brain all at once.

“John?”

John froze, watching James warily. James took a couple of tentative steps forwards, not quite believing it. Slowly he reached out his hand and brought it up to John’s face, pausing just before he touched it. Then, taking a deep breath, he let his hand fall to the soft skin, the glorious, solid, soft skin. “You’re actually here,” he breathed.

John brokenly laughed, stumbling into James’ arms and letting out little sobs as he clung onto James. “I deserved you, I needed you. I only wanted you,” he mumbled over and over into James shoulder.

James didn’t know what to say, John was actually back.  _ John was actually here.  _ It was beyond comprehension, it was not just an illusion, he was actually in his arms.

He carefully cradled John against his chest, only wanting to provide comfort for the other man. He was still confused; questions still running rampant in his brain.

After a while, John’s sobs quieted down and his body stopped shaking. He pulled back and looked James in the eyes, the determination and resignation clear in them. The initial earthquake tremors were done with, now they just had to get through the aftershocks.

“Do you want some tea?” James asked. Best to go into heavy talks with at least some form of comfort. Silver silently nodded his head and so James got about making them both a cup. Peppermint for John and Earl Grey for James.

They headed to the sitting room and made themselves comfortable in the two armchairs that were in front of the fireplace, where they had played chess all those months ago. For awhile they just sat in silence, drinking their teas. Finally, James felt the need to say something. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about… it. I didn’t know what to say.”

Thankfully, John smiled, if not a bit sadly. “It’s okay, I understand. I wouldn’t have known what to say either. I don’t blame you for that.”

James breathed a sigh of relief, well at least there was that, still, this conversation was not so easily resolved. “But?”

“But, it was still a lot to take in, and I needed some time to sort it out. I was, as you know, mad at you for not telling me, though I can see that was unjust of me. I was also furious with myself for what I had done to you and how you handled the situation as well back then. From my point of view, the person who I had given my heart didn’t care that I had done so. I was nothing to you, yet you were everything to me.”

“That isn’t-”

“I know now that wasn’t the case,” John continued, interrupting James, “but that is what I felt at the time, and now that I know what you felt, it brings up a whole bunch of different issues.”

James looked down at his mug. He hadn’t thought about how him just losing it like that would look to John, only focusing on what he thought was the best for him. Wasn’t that what brought about the downfall of most loves? One partner doing something out of love for the other, while not taking into account what their love actually needs? In hindsight, he had messed up royally.

“How is it that two people who are so good at spinning words together have the worst communication skills when it comes to each other?” James asked, looking up. That brought a tiny smile to Silver’s face.

“Stubbornness? The belief that we are in the right, while the other is in the wrong? Pride? Take your pick, there are many options out there.”

“So what are we to do?”

“Like I said, talk,” John said. “Tell me everything, what you were thinking back then, what you were thinking over these past couple of months. What you want to happen going forward. Everything. In return, I will do the same for you.”

James nodded, seemed like a good place to start, so that is what he did.

He told John all. His mindset when Nassau was but a fleeting image, lost in the ruins of what it had become. What had happened afterwards, how drink had led to his ruin, and then ultimately, his death.

Then he told about his many afterlives, going over each one, explaining his pain and fury, his madness and horrors. Then he told him about Thomas, about their beautiful life together, from playing together as little children, to wild teenagers, and then heading into adulthood, together throughout it all, as they should be. Talking about Thomas’ cancer was hard. He hadn’t ever spoken to anyone about it, and James had to stop multiple times when the tears got to be too much.

John patiently waited for James, letting him grieve, understanding in the way only Silver could. He managed to get through it all, making sure to tell John about how Thomas had made him see past his nightmares and come to accept them. To forgive and let go, to move forwards, not remain in the past.

He then told John about this life, about growing up with Miranda, about looking for John and not finding him. The heartbreak that came with that, Thomas’ tree, Walrus Corp. All of it coming together in one big picture, leading up to his thoughts on running into John and all that had taken place afterwards.

James did not realize how relieving it would be to tell John everything. There were now no secrets from him, everything was out in the open, and James had never felt lighter.

“Thank you,” John said. James nodded, no extra words necessary. Then John started talking.

Instead of going over what had happened after he had left James, he went back to when John was just a little boy, a boy named Solomon Little. James had never heard of that story before, never having asked John about his past. John had obviously not been comfortable talking about it and so James had never pressed. The fact that John was telling him this now was not lost on him.

John’s past was just as depressing as James’ own, if not more so, to have all torn from him at such a young age. After that was made known, then John told James about what happened after he had left James, about setting up an inn and hanging out with the crew who had left with him. Then about the trip to Treasure Island. John visibly struggled telling James that story, obviously not proud of what he had done there. James held no grudges, it was just treasure after all, and James had done much worse in his eyes. John had nothing to be ashamed of.

Then John told him about this life, for it was the only one he remembered. He had not suffered the same horrors that James had, being forever reawakened in a new time period. James was forever grateful that was not the case. He told him about how he was an orphan, moved from foster home to foster home.

When he told James about how he was abused, James had to physically restrain himself from getting up and going after those who had hurt John. The thought that he had been hurt like that was like a stab in the heart. He should have looked harder for John, done a wider search, if only to prevent that from happening to him.

He then told him his side of the story of why he had gone with Willow and those idiots. Explaining his mindset and the crap that he had found himself in. James was still more concerned about the abuse he had suffered.

As if sensing what was on James’ mind, Silver got up and went over, sitting down on his lap, wrapping his arms around James’ neck and staring deeply in his eyes. “I’m here now, I’m safe, and those people can’t hurt me anymore.”

James still didn’t feel convinced. How could anyone want to hurt John? He had been just a child. John leaned down and kissed James slowly. James let himself get washed away in the kiss, letting John control the rhythm, control everything.

John pulled back and leaned his head against James’ forehead, breathing heavily through his nose. “Seeing you like this makes me realize what a fool I was to ever believe you didn’t love me.”

James tightened his hold on John’s hips. “No, it was my fault, for making you doubt.”

John chose not to argue, instead opting to lean forward into a hug, holding onto James tightly. It was the type of hug that either meant goodbye or that they were never letting them go. James didn’t know which one it was. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

Still, it was best he found out. “Are you staying?”

John pulled back, not answering for several long moments, running his fingers through James hair. James heart was thudding in his chest, and James was positive John could hear it in the silence of the room.

“Yes,” John finally said, and James breathed a sigh of relief. He reached forward and crashed their mouths together in a hungry kiss. All his pent up emotions put into it.

When they broke for air, Silver suddenly turned serious, making sure that James listened to what he was saying. “You should know, the only reason I’m staying is because I can’t handle the thought of eating another microwave meal again.”

They stared at each other for several seconds, before both of them burst out laughing.

“I knew you were only with me for my cooking skills,” James said peppering John’s face with kisses.

“Well why else would I be with you?”

James pulled back and looked at John. Looked at his twinkling eyes, and his smiling lips. Yes, they were going to be alright. They were going to be just fine.


	38. Thomas' Tree

The drive there was a quiet affair, Silver could feel the buzzing in James’ mind, knowing that he was anxious about this whole thing. Silver couldn’t quite believe that they were actually doing this. This was James’ special spot, his sacred place. The fact that he was inviting Silver to be a part of it was beyond words. It also made Silver incredibly anxious. Would Thomas be okay with Silver entering his domain? Would he accept Silver? It was all incredibly nerve wracking.

When James had first approached Silver about accompanying him to the tree, Silver had thought James had gone mad. He had no right to that space. That was for James, for him to remember and respect. Silver felt like he had no place there.

But James had insisted, saying that Thomas would have wanted Silver to visit, that it was right. Silver had hesitantly agreed, seeing that this was important for James. It didn’t take away the insecurities Silver felt though. How could it? Thomas was James’ truest love, the one who held his heart above everything, how was Silver to compete with that? Not that he wanted to compete, but wasn’t he replacing him in some small way? It just boggled Silver that James could be so nonchalant about it all.

Well… not exactly nonchalant. James, though never the most talkative of fellows, was certainly not making up much conversation. Silver could have used some idle chit chat at the moment, to help get his mind off things, but no, James was being absolutely mute, not even a damn peep.

They stopped at a motel for the night, which just showed how different this trip was from others. From what Silver had gathered, James usually drove straight there, only stopping for bathroom breaks or quick snacks. Silver didn’t know whether he would prefer that or not. The night was an awkward affair to say the least.

They made it through thankfully, and by late morning managed to reach the park. It was a beautiful park, a certain wildness to it that few parks now a days carried with them. Most parks were cultivated and trimmed to perfection, leaving no room for error. This park was left to grow as it pleased, it was refreshing.

Silver stopped at the park entrance, reading the sign.  _ Thomas Hamilton Park.  _ Silver had gotten a café, Thomas had gotten a park. It seemed James had a pattern of buying his loves big presents. Though, the park had been purchased after his death, but Silver had no doubt that if that James had had the money, he would have bought the world for Thomas.

“Come,” James said quietly, gently grabbing onto Silver’s hand and leading him into the park. It was still weird, holding hands with James. One wouldn’t expect James to be big on PDA, and he wasn’t, but he did like to show his affection and love and sometimes when they were out walking at night, James would reach over and grasp Silver’s hand. It felt comforting to have his warm grasp in Silver’s own. Grounding in a way that Silver had never encountered before, never having a parent who held his hand when he was a kid. He felt like he belonged somewhere when James did that, and that filled him up with more joy than anything Silver could ever imagine.

James carefully led Silver through the park, till they got to this area a bit off from any of the main paths. There was a small, rarely used path that they were on, but few if any traversed there. It felt like they were entering this separate dimension. One where time stopped moving, and the outside sounds dimmed out.

Then Silver could see it — the tree that James had told him about. It was a fair size now, able to provide shelter for those in need, with its long branches and foliage. Beside it was another, taller tree, which Silver took to be Bubbles’ favourite. Sure enough, the little tomb stone to mark the grave was seen underneath that one.

Sensing it was the right thing to do, Silver went over to the little grave first, kneeling down in front of it. James stood to the side a bit, watching Silver. It should have felt weird or awkward, but it didn’t. Everything felt right for some reason, like this was supposed to happen.

“Hi, I’m John Silver,” Silver said, testing the waters. “I heard a lot of good stories about you, old boy. Heard you were a real rascal.”

A bunch of birds started twittering, as if laughing at him, but in a fond amused sort of way. Just as Silver imagined Bubbles would have reacted.

“I hope dog heaven is treating you well,” Silver said. It felt right to leave it at that. Then he turned to the tree, this time not sure what to do. How does one go addressing a tree?

He looked over at James, who smiled encouragingly, coming to kneel down beside him. James reached out and grabbed Silver’s hand, and used his free hand to reach out to touch the tree.

“Hey Thomas,” James said, “this is John.”

The wind seemed to stir a bit, but it was probably all in Silver’s head. Heart thudding erratically, Silver slowly reached out and touched the bark of the tree. It was a bit rough to the touch, but pleasant as well. There was a sort of thrumming within the veins of the tree, as if Silver could feel its life force.

_ Hello John, it’s good to see you. _

Silver let out a gasp, turning to James, but James was lost somewhere else, probably having his own conversation with Thomas. Silver turned his attention back to the tree, or Thomas, or whatever it was.

“H-hi?”

_ I would like to thank you for taking care of James. He has had a hard life, hard lives I should say. It is good that he has you. _

“I’m not you,” Silver protested.

_ No, you’re you. And James loves you all the more for it. _

This was all too much for Silver. “Wh-why…”

_ Why am I okay with this? Why wouldn’t I be, he is happy is he not? _

Silver looked over at James, his breath catching at the sight. He was smiling, leaning his head back to soak in the sun’s rays, red hair glittering and face oddly relaxed. Yes, he did look happy.

_ That is your doing. _

“I’ve hurt him too.”

_ You have, but will you do so again? _

And if Silver had learned anything throughout this whole ordeal, it was that he never wanted to put James through that suffering ever again. He loved the man, and was disgusted in himself for being so selfish all those years ago, for being so selfish so recently as well. James was his heart, he was his life, he would do everything in his power to not hurt him.

_ There you have it. _

“Why do you think me worthy of him, he is after all, your love.”

_ But he was also yours. You saved him in so many ways, put him back together when he thought all was lost. You are the reason he is here today. He may be my love, but he is also yours as well. Why should I deny you your happiness? _

Silver was at a loss for words, he could understand why Thomas would want James to be happy, but Silver as well? That didn’t make sense.

_ You deserve happiness too John, don’t doubt that. _

Silver found himself shaking his head, but Thomas wouldn’t let him speak.

_ You have faults, you have made poor decisions, but you are a remarkable young man, who has gone through so much. Don’t sell yourself short. I truly hope you find happiness with James. _

“He makes me feel like the luckiest man in the world,” Silver gasped out.

_ Then I am pleased. I love you too John. _

“What?”

_ James loves you, therefore, I love you, and I hope that one day, you’ll learn to love yourself John. Love who you are and accept who you are. _

John took a deep breath, for the first time really assessing himself. Assessing his qualities, good and bad. It was a weird, but freeing experience.

“You’re good at that aren’t you? Hitting the point, fixing problems.”

_ Well, I had to keep James on track throughout all these years before you came along, didn’t I? _

John had to give him that point. There was one question that John had to ask, however — “Am I really talking to Thomas?”

_ That is for you to decide. _

John swore there was a laughing tone in that last statement, though where the emotion could have come from, John would never know.

John turned to James and found him looking back at him, with love in his eyes. James had obviously had a separate conversation with Thomas, one private between them, like John’s conversation was private between just him and Thomas. Still, it felt nice to know that James was here with him, that he was John’s, just as John was James’.

“Thank you, for letting me in, for showing me this.”

James brought his hand up to John’s face, cupping it. “No, thank you for coming with me.”

John smiled in return, a soft smile, meant only for James.

They said their goodbyes then headed back out and set off towards home. Both of them feeling more complete and connected than they had before. Both of them feeling more secure about their feelings towards each other and secure in knowing that whatever the future held, they would handle it together.


	39. Proposal

James fiddled with the little box, uncertainty rushing through his entire body. Was this the right move to make? Was it the right time? He hated not knowing what to do, it bothered him to no end.

In all of his many lives he had not once ever had to deal with proposing to someone. It would have been unthinkable in most of his lives. Yet here he was, actually considering it… he must be mad.

The sound of the door opening announced John’s arrival home. Taking one look at the box again he shoved it back in his desk drawer where it had been hiding for the past three weeks. He didn’t know what had compelled him to buy the damn silver circlet, but here he was stressing over whether he should go through with it or not. It was driving him insane.

He pushed those thoughts out of his head as Silver entered the room. “How was your day?”

“Oh you know, the men were idiots as usual. Same old same old,” John said. He walked around the room and came up behind James, wrapping his arms around his chest. “Just so you know, I’m still annoyed with you leaving me to those wolves. I thought we were supposed to be partners.”

“You sure have a funny way of showing your annoyance,” James remarked as Silver started peppering open mouthed kisses along James’ cheek and down to his neck. He tilted his head back to allow him better access.

“Well you do owe me, and I think it’s my turn to be on top,” John whispered, lightly biting James’ ear. James let out a low moan, he was already getting hard and they hadn’t even done anything yet.

John rotated around to stand in front of James. He leaned back against the desk and looked him up and down, hunger in his eyes. James wasn’t up for games though, so he leapt up and smashed their mouths together.

John let out a chuckle and pulled back slightly. “Eager are we now? Why don’t we take this to comfier arrangements?” John sauntered out of the room, throwing a wink over his shoulder as he did so. James rolled his eyes. John was still the same cocky bastard as ever, but he loved the man, damn it all to hell. Without needing to be called twice he followed after him into the bedroom.

John grabbed him by the shirt and threw him on the bed before climbing on top of him. In quick fashion he had torn both of their clothes off leaving nothing between them, but bare skin. John’s eyes ran over James’ body hungrily. He looked ready to eat him up. The thought of it made James even more aroused.

Keeping eye contact with him, John took out a bottle of lube and slowly started spreading James open. James couldn’t help the little huffs of air that escaped him every time John’s finger grazed his prostate. In no time at all he was rock hard and needy, thrusting up into the fingers and moaning shamelessly.

John was grinning down at him smugly, but James didn’t care at the moment. He would get the bastard back later. For now, though, he just let himself drown in the sensations.

“Please… need you…” James groaned. As perfect as this was, it was not enough, he needed to be filled, needed John.

John chuckled and leaned down over top of him. “So needy. I love seeing you like this, all laid out and ready, just for me. Knowing I’m the only one who gets to see you like this.”

James growled and leaned up to kiss John harshly. He tangled his hands in John’s hair and attempted to take a hold of the situation. John used his unoccupied hand to gently take a hold of James’ face and lean it back. Turning the kiss into something gentler, something sweet.

It was like he was pouring all his love, forgiveness, and thankfulness into that kiss and it took James’ breath away. It drew up so much emotion, and tears came unbidden to his eyes.

“I’ve got you,” whispered John, breaking the kiss and starting to kiss the tears off James’ face. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

He drew out his fingers, making James feel cold and empty, but John wasted no time slicking up his dick with more lube and thrusting in. Having John inside of him was like no other experience. No matter how many times they slept together, James knew he would never tire of this. It filled him up and made him feel whole again, like it was the missing piece to the puzzle that had been unsolvable for far too long.

John started with gentle thrusts, slowly rocking into James and building him up. James held onto John with a desperate need. Their lips brushed together from time to time, never quite kissing. They were both too overwhelmed by the emotions running between them. For some reason, this time felt different from all the others. It felt like it meant something important, though what that was James could not tell.

After a while James needed more and started thrusting his hips back up to meet John’s thrusts. John responded in kind, also losing a bit of his edge. Together it grew into a hurried, fast paced mess that ended with them both coming at the same time, both thoroughly satisfied.

John pulled out and grabbed a cloth, wiping away the mess. Once done he collapsed down against James, draping an arm around him, and leaning his head against his chest. They lay there in silence, both of them catching their breaths and enjoying in the afterglow.

John started tracing meaningless designs into James’ skin and James shuffled around a bit to wrap him more firmly in his arms, placing a kiss on his dark curls. “You amaze me, do you know that?” James said running a hand gently through said curls. John hummed and pushed his head into James’ hand like he always did. He could be such a cat at times. “I still can’t believe sometimes that you decided to stick around.”

John let out a chuckle and sat up a bit. “I could say the same thing about you.” He leaned down and pecked him on the lips. As he pulled up again a cheeky grin graced his features. James was immediately on the alert. The little shit was up to something. “That reminds me. There is something that I’ve been meaning to ask you about.”

He got up and leaned over the side of the bed, rummaging around in his clothes. James sat up warily, he knew something must be up. John found what he needed and returned to straddle James. He held something in his hands.

James looked down and froze. It was the engagement ring he had bought three weeks ago. “You little shit!”

John let out a peal of laughter and leaned down to kiss James. James reluctantly kissed back, though his mind was racing. How the fuck had he managed to find it?

“I’ve been waiting for three weeks for you to ask me. Was getting impatient, so decided to take things into my own hands.”

“How the hell did you know?” James asked.

John chuckled. “You were acting all weird when you came home that one day. Didn’t even give me a hello kiss. Instead, you went straight to your office and stayed in there for a good forty-five minutes. Of course I was curious.”

“But that means you went into my office!”

John shrugged. “I know, I know, I probably shouldn’t have gone in there, but… you know me. Curiosity got the better of me. I had to know. So anyways, low and behold, to my surprise I found this.” John said, holding up the box. James just glared at the brat. He had ruined a perfectly good surprise.

“Oh don’t give me that look. From the way things were looking, you weren’t going to ask me till next year. I had to take action. You can still take the credit for initiating it if you want,” John said with a wink.

James growled. Why was he with this man again?

John paused and peered down at him. “I’m sorry. I overstepped. I just–”

“No, you’re right. I would have waited for months, perhaps years even before I even dared to ask you.” James smirked at the horrified look that crossed John’s face. “Thank you.”

John beamed and wrapped his arms around James’ neck and pulled him into another deep kiss. “By the way, I say yes,” John added, smirking down at him.

James let out a growl and flipped them both over. Though the outcome had turned out better than James could have anticipated, the little shit still had to pay for it. Judging by the look on John’s face, he didn’t mind that one bit.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shitty porn, but I wanted it to be a lighthearted proposal since I've put them through an emotional roller coaster... and this is what my brain came up with lol.


	40. We'll Face The Future Together

For some fucking reason that James could not make head or tails of, John wanted this big extravagant wedding. Well okay, he was exaggerating a bit, but still James would have been fine going down to town hall and getting their oaths done there, but no, John insisted they have this beach wedding of sorts.

James supposed it was fitting in a way, after all if they had gone into matelotage back at Nassau they would have most likely done it at a beach. Though it would have been nothing fancy like John was planning. James shook his head, oh the things he put up with.

“Now, I know you hate pork for whatever reason, but listen to this… a spit roasted pig. How does that sound?”

James looked over at Silver in disbelief, who had a big grin on his face and wide innocent eyes. “No,” James all but growled. John’s grin grew wider.

“But why not? I think it’s a great idea!”

“Stop being a shit. There will be no roasted pig.”

“But what if I made it?” John asked.

James gritted his teeth. “And have everyone get food poisoning? I don’t think so.”

John let out a chuckle and sauntered over to straddle James’ lap. If he thought that seduction was going to work, he could think again.

John started making little thrusting movements on his lap, fingers running through James’ hair. James leaned back and let John do his work. Might as well enjoy the show, even if it would not change his mind.

“Yes, but you see I have all my memories back now,” John whispered, biting down on James’ ear lobe and tugging it gently.

James chuckled. “Just because I taught you once how to make a proper roasted pig does not mean that you’ll know how to do it again.”

John leaned back and smirked, running his hands down James’ chest. “Yes but, after you left me.” James breath hitched. He hated being reminded of that. John, though, continued on unimpeded. “I became a very good cook. One of the best actually. On the trip to find your treasure I just so happened to be the cook for the journey. Strange how such things go in full circle, makes it almost seem like fate.”

“You don’t believe in fate.”

“True,” John conceded. “But isn’t it funny to look back on your life… or I guess lives in our case and see how things didn’t seem so random as it first seemed?”

“No,” James wasn’t in the mood for philosophical thoughts.

John laughed. “No I suppose not. Though my point being, I’m now a good cook so I should be able to redeem myself in your eyes and cook a roasted pig for our wedding.”

James rolled his eyes. “Oh really? And when was the last time you picked up a kitchen utensil in this life? From my point of view whatever shenanigans, you got up to over two hundred years ago don’t count.”

John pouted, he actually pouted, the little brat. “Yes, but why would I cook when you can do that for me? You do such a good job.”

James growled. “You fucker.”

John beamed. “Yes, but only to you darling.” John got up and walked over to the kitchen. “Oh by the way, I already ordered a spit to be set up so… I guess we’ll be having roasted pig.”

James groaned. He really should have expected nothing less. Still though, it scared him a little that this was the sort of things he was going to have to put up with for the rest of his life…

He wouldn’t have it any other way.

+

John surveyed the wedding scene. It had to be perfect, he needed it to be.

He didn’t know when he had become a romantic, in his other life he wouldn’t have even bothered with matelotage. Now, however, it was important to him that everything was up to par. Some part of him still worried that James would leave him again, would decide that he wasn’t worth it and just up and depart without a word. He knew he was irrational, but still, if he could just make everything perfect then maybe James wouldn’t see what a huge fuckup he was.

John went over to the fire spit. Everything looked good, but that was no guarantee of anything. John would start roasting the pig after the wedding while people mingled and ate appetizers. James still didn’t approve of this, but John had to do this. It meant something to him.

As John was eyeing the angle of the seats that the guests would sit in during the ceremony, Miranda came up to him.

“You should relax you know. Stop fretting over every little thing. It’ll be perfect in its own way.”

John frowned. “Yes but-”

“No buts. My son loves you very much and I know you love him. Isn’t that all that matters?”

“After all we’ve been through?” John asked, arching a brow. His question needed no explaining.

Miranda looked around the set up in thought, eyes squinting in thought. “Yet here you are, together, so yes, I would say love is all that matters in this case.”

John looked around, trying to see it through her eyes. Yes, he did want to believe what she said, but there was still a tiny part of him that doubted it all, doubted that this was even  _ real.  _ She was seeing the man she considered to be her son, marrying this young man who had, at one point tried to fuck up his life drastically. Okay, she probably saw him as this young man who made mistakes in the past, but had been through a lot, and James loved him, so that was all that mattered.

“And you have no qualms?”

Miranda looked over at John in surprise. “I would assume after all this time my thoughts on the matter are very clear. You are very much a part of James and my family. I love you and believe that you share a similar sentiment with me. Of course I want this.”

Yes, Miranda and him were quite close now, almost to the point where it drove James up the wall. They were, after all, huge gossips and their favourite hobbies included teasing James and dragging him off to random events and activities. Something that James pretended to hate, but actually really loved… unless you counted that bohemian dancing thing they went to which was never to be spoken of again. Ever.

Still, John was just having mini heart attacks throughout this whole thing, not that he was letting anyone else know. James especially; James was acting like this worried goose with too much blood pressure, and John took it upon himself to make sure that he acted like nothing was amiss. After all, he was supposed to be the carefree one in the relationship. That was probably not the best way to deal with things, but he didn’t want James to worry.

It also didn’t help that Max and Idelle had decided to take complete control over the whole thing once they found out, not that John minded all that much, but still, the two of them together could get overwhelming. Thank god for Eme and her sense of calmness, or else who knows what would have happened. Then there was also Ben causing a mess of the cake the other day, so now they didn’t even have a fucking wedding cake. What was a wedding without a wedding cake??

Surprisingly, Max had not gone off her rocker at that, though John had, causing Billy to have to drag Ben away, while Gates held John back. It hadn’t been a pretty sight.

Anyways, here they were now, John about to get married without a cake and a stomach full of nerves.

“Do  _ you _ want this?” Miranda asked, breaking through his thoughts.

John looked over at her, gathering his thoughts before he spoke. “I want this more than anything. I love him, gods, I love him so freaking much, it almost hurts.”

Miranda smiled. “Good, he loves you too. Don’t ever forget that.” She looked out across the vast ocean, John following her gaze. The sun was shining down on the great sea, sparkling the water, making it seem like silver beams were dancing on the surface. The sight stirring up memories and emotions.

“Strange, how simple actions can change your whole life,” John said mindlessly, still obsessed with looking out into the never-ending distance.

Miranda hummed in agreeance. “Perhaps fate does play a hand in it all. Either way, you both deserve happiness, god knows, James deserves it, after everything he’s been through.”

“Do you know?” John asked. He had been meaning to ask her for awhile now, but there never seemed to be the right time. Now though, what she had been saying struck far too close to home.

Miranda smiled one of her little mysterious smiles. “Know what?”

John didn’t know how to respond. For what could he say? If he was wrong then he would sound like a lunatic, but if he is right… John doesn’t know what to do if he is right. “Know about Nassau.” He chose that since he thought it would be vague enough.

Miranda’s smile widened. “I always knew, don’t tell James, though. I’m not sure how he would feel about that.”

John nodded his head, passing on a smile of his own. It would be their little secret.

+

James felt his hands shaking as he tried to tie his tie. He had never thought he would ever get to do this — get married. It was an impossibility back in Nassau, and illegal still with Thomas, yet here he was, about to get married to John. It felt right in a way, like the final cog about to be put in place.

A knock came at the door, and Miranda stepped in. James smiled in relief, he still needed her, even after all these years.

“How are you doing?” she asked.

James shrugged, still fumbling with his blasted tie, it wouldn’t seem to sit right. As if sensing his struggles, though it probably was obvious, she came over and tied his tie for him.

“Nervous?”

“A bit,” James admitted, what if John backed out last minute? What if…

“Shh, stop thinking so much, it’ll be perfect, trust me.”

James stopped his wild thoughts, grinning down at Miranda. “I don’t think Max or Idelle would have it any other way.”

Miranda smiled in return, but then she turned serious, and cupped James’ cheek. “James, I want you to know that I am incredibly proud of you. I have had the greatest pleasure of watching you grow up and fostering you in your times of need. I have only ever wanted you to be happy and safe, and seeing you like this today makes me the happiest woman on the planet. I love you, and I can’t wait to give you away to John.”

James felt choked up. God dammit! This was his wedding day, there was no time for tears! Seeing a couple of tears fall down Miranda’s cheeks was enough to let James’ own fall as well. He pulled her into a tight hug. “I love you so much Miranda, words cannot even begin to explain how much I love you.”

“I know darling, I know.”

There was another knock on the door, and they both turned to see Eleanor peek through. “We’re ready when you are,” she said.

James looked over at Miranda, who looked at him in return; he nodded his head, he was ready to do this. It was time.

+

They stood across from each other, only having eyes for one another, the rest of the world blurred out. Green staring into blue, not in a battle, but just because they could. Standing up at the altar, John knew with certainty that this was the right thing to do. There was no where else he would rather be, nothing else he would rather be doing. He was here with James and that was all that mattered.

And when they finally kissed? Well that was just the cherry on top of the cake… that they didn’t have. Still, John couldn’t stop smiling, he didn’t know what was wrong with him, and  _ James.  _ Good god, James was actually smiling as well. Someone had better be videoing this whole thing. He needed physical proof that James had been happy this day, in case he tried to deny it later on, which he most certainly will.

They had to go through the mandatory shaking of everyone’s hands as they came up to congratulate them. John had been a bit worried that James would grow irritable, but thankfully, he was well behaved. John was just purely enjoying the attention. It felt nice to be noticed in such a positive light.

Finally, though, it was time for Silver to have his hand at the roasted pig. James still couldn’t believe that John wanted to go through with it, but like everything else today, it felt right. Like a full circle.

It took several hours for it to cook through, and John was  _ not  _ going to serve raw pork this time around, no matter what James said. The guests mingled around, most of them being quite close to one another, so it was no bother at all. Alcohol was flowing freely, and appetizers were available.

Gates and Vane dragged James off somewhere, but Muldoon, Logan, Joshua, and Farjad kept Silver company as he carefully turned the whole pig.

When John deemed it cooked, there was a lot of hooting and hollering, and people scrambling to line up, seemed like they had more faith in his cooking abilities than James did. Speaking of, James came trotting over. His face flushed and eyes twinkling.

Smiling up at him, John served him the first piece. John was not amused by the hesitation in James’ eyes, but he eventually took a bite. As he chewed, his eyes widened, face a picture of surprise. “Good god! This is excellent!” James exclaimed, taking another huge bite. The others roared with laughter, calling for John to hurry up and start serving them as well.

John was shaking with laughter, looking at his lover’s face as he consumed his portion. He blindly thrust the carving knife to Billy and went over to James, pulling him into a lewd kiss, much to the amusement of the crowd. He thrust his tongue into James’ mouth, tasting the spices that John had used to baste the pork, intermingling with James’ own flavour.

James moaned into the kiss, pulling Silver in closer, deepening it.

“Oi! Break it up!” Jack yelled out. John pointed the finger in his direction, but pulled back all the same. He was hungry after all, and he hadn’t made the pork just for show. It was time to eat.

…

Once everyone was finished eating, and everyone pleasantly full, John expected the dancing to start, but instead James nodded over to Eme who left to inform the caterers of something. James was twiddling with his new wedding ring on his finger and seemed slightly nervous.

“Everything alright?” John asked.

James nodded his head, but didn’t meet his eyes. Then people started gasping. Turning to look, John’s mouth dropped open. Carried in by two people, was this magnificent cake, three stories and decorated beautifully, looking like the night sky meeting the dark ocean. Their joining, a clashing, joyful reunion. It stole John’s breath away.

But how? Ben had entirely ruined the first cake, and there was no way someone would have been able to make another one in such short time, especially one as professional as this.

“I made it,” James said softly.

John turned to James in surprise. He had made it? John only saw the truth in James eyes, and that blew him away. When James had explained his past life to John, he had understood why James could no longer bake anything. It reminded him too much of Thomas, and so John had never pressed for anything else. The fact that he had made this cake for John spoke wonders.

“I had Ben ruin the other cake, I’m sorry if that upsets you, but I wanted to make this, and you had already ordered the other one and-”

John leapt forward and kissed James before he could continue rambling on. “It’s perfect, thank you,” John said when he pulled back. It was more than perfect, it was better than anything John could have ever asked for.

James smiled in response, love and affection clear in his eyes.

Together they cut the first piece amidst many cheers, and needless to say, the cake was fucking delicious.

+

James had to admit, the wedding had been pert near perfect. He doubted it could have gone better anyway. Currently, he and John were sitting back at their table, having had their fill of dancing. The first dance had, of course, been quite emotional, and like at the ceremony, they had tuned everyone out, just focusing on themselves. Living in the moment. Then James had danced with Miranda, and Silver had danced with Madi, who had managed to get the day off from her duties as prime minister.

Then the fast music had kicked in and everyone had joined in for a lot of chaos and laughs. Now, needless to say, James was quite done with the whole moving around thing and was perfectly content to just sit in his seat and never move again.

At that moment, John turned to James, eyes wide with mirth and tipsiness. “I almost forgot!” he shouted out for everyone to hear.

James rolled his eyes. What could it be now? He hoped that it wasn’t some elaborate activity that brought about a lot of movement. Though he wasn’t as far gone as John was, he was starting to feel the effects of the champagne, and if John got it in his head to do something while drunk… well then he would do it and James would have to move. “What did you forget sweetheart?” James asked. Making sure to say the endearment as cloyingly as possible.

John didn’t seem to catch it though, since he just smiled brightly and pulled out a check from his breast pocket. Looking at the check, James laughed loudly.

“Gods, I love you,” James breathed, pulling John into a kiss. Around them cheers and wolf-whistles rang out.

“Can’t even wait for you honeymoon?” Jack joked.

John pulled back, unfortunately, and directed an evil grin in Jack’s direction. “What? Don’t like the show?”

James, irrationally, tightened his grip on John. John turned back to James and flashed a wide smile. Leaning in he whispered, “On our wedding day, and you’re still worried that someone is going to whisk me away. Tsk tsk.”

James playfully shoved John away. “I can never be too certain, what with you looking like that.”

“So what’s the deal with the check?” Jack asked, much to James’ annoyance. Couldn’t he see they were having a private moment?

John, the traitor, turned back to Jack and smiled. “Just a little inside joke.” He reached for a pen and quickly scribbled out the amount and handed it over to James. “There you go, this month’s rent,” he said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Jack stared bug-eyed as James took the check and tucked it away safely in his pocket. That was going right with the others as soon as they got home.

“You make him pay rent?!”

Miranda, who had been watching quietly at the side, let out a laugh. “These two have a million and one quirks and inside jokes that even if you watched them for the rest of your life you would still be confused. Best not to worry your head on such things.”

Jack frowned, but in the end he shrugged his shoulders and walked off.

James turned to Miranda. “Thank you.”

Miranda smiled. “No need to thank me dear. It’s a mother’s dream to see their child happy on their wedding day. Just doing my part to make that dream true.”

“Yes! And you’re doing a wonderful job,” John gushed. “I love what you did with the…”

James sighed and sat back letting John ramble on to Miranda. He loved how well they got along. That had been surprising to him at first. Back at Nassau, they had never really had much time to interact and when they did it was only on the civilest of terms. James hadn’t even trusted John when Miranda had met him.

Still though, James couldn’t have been happier to discover how well those two got along. It meant the world to him that the two people he trusted the most cared for each other.

So it was with this in mind that James just sat back, lightly holding onto John’s hand, and watched as John and Miranda chatted away about this and that. He had to admit that he was probably the luckiest man in the world at that moment.    

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay it's done!!!  
> First I would like to say a huge thank you to my lovely beta @piratebusters! You are the best <3  
> Secondly, thank you to everyone who supported this story, and sticking with it this long (really sorry about my slow updates).  
> And yeah... if any of you have any prompts that you would like to see me write, either within this story's universe or black sails in general, feel free to drop me a note here or on my tumblr @benchofindigo :) I do have another story idea that I'm forming but I haven't really found the motivation to write lately so maybe a couple of prompts will get me back into business...  
> Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed the story, and hopefully I did the prompt justice,  
> Thanks again!  
> Bye :)


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